Leaving Town
by dontaskimdissapointed
Summary: When Erwin has to move to a new country she resents uprooting the life that she was perfectly happy with. But things turn out better than expected when she finds new friends and a new tankery team. Will include Girls und Panzer characters later on.
1. Chapter 1

Erwin looked out as the Rockies passed beneath her. She rested her head in her hand and her nose was pressed up against the window. Her hat rose up on her head slightly from where the brim pushed against the glass. A book on the sixth army in Stalingrad lay open on her lap. She gazed at the snow capped mountains and green valleys. The hum of the engines was relaxing but she had already spent a good deal of time sleeping and now felt restless. She leaned back in the uncomfortable plane seat, arching her back and stretching out her arms, eliciting a yawn.

She looked bored but deep down she was feeling absolutely miserable. It had all started a couple months ago when her father had died. This hadn't been such a big deal to Erwin. She had never been all that close with either of her parents and her dad was always. He had been indifferent to Erwin, only caring about her grades, which hadn't been all that good. When he died in a car crash while on a business trip Erwin had felt sad, but no real remorse. Her mother wasn't much better. She was often away as well and although she made some effort to be there for her only daughter she had never bothered showing interest in what Erwin was interested in.

It had been less than a month after Erwin's father's death when her mother had told her that she was going to have a step dad. Although Erwin's mom put up the pretence that she had only just met the man and fallen in love with him on sight, Erwin knew better. She wasn't stupid, and had seen the way her mom had been acting; how she would rush to answer the phone on the rare occasion her husband was home. At the end of the day Erwin couldn't care less what her mom was doing behind her dads back, as long as it didn't affect her.

But as it happened her mother's affair did affect her. That was why she was on a plane over the Rockies, heading north. She had bought a tacky post card of a shirtless blonde guy holding a surf board and waving on a beach when they stopped in the San Francisco air port. She planned on sending it back to Saori as a joke more than anything else but the closer Erwin got to her destination the more she felt her humour drain.

It had been almost a month after the announcement of a step dad that Erwin's mother had told her that they were moving. It had been a Saturday morning and Erwin had just sat down to breakfast. It was ten o'clock and she was thinking about the day ahead, perhaps heading into town to buy a new book. Her mother had been emptying the dishwasher, and nonchalantly stated that they were going to be moving in with the step dad. Erwin had dropped her spoon into her bowl, splattering milk on her t-shirt. Her immediate response was no. Her mom could do what she liked, but Erwin was staying at Ooarai. Her mother had calmly explained that she wanted Erwin to come with her, and she wouldn't have her only daughter on the other side of the pacific.

This had brought up where they were moving. Her new step dad owned a big paper mill in a small town called Port Ryan, on the western coast of Canada in British Columbia. Erwin had no interest in moving. She had less interest in moving to a small town in the middle of no-where. She had a great group of friends and was enjoying school for the first time in her life. She had no interest in changing anything. She had argued profusely with her mother about it and ended up storming out of the house.

But in the end she had no choice. In just under a week she had said goodbye to her friends and was on the plane. She had promised to visit as much as possible, and told them she would talk to them on skype. But staying connected wasn't the same as hanging out with them. And she was definitely going to miss her StuG, and her best friends from history club.

The pilot announced that they would be landing in Vancouver soon. Erwin closed her book and put it in her backpack. The air conditioning made the temperature colder than what she was used to and she wore a hoody underneath her usual world war two German jacket. She could feel the pressure in her ears as the plane began its descent and after buckling up her seatbelt she looked out the window. They were passing over suburbs and she could see a river winding out to an inlet.

After landing she followed her mother out of the plane, walking a couple metres behind her. It was mid afternoon and the airport was busy. Erwin dragged a small suit case that contained all of her possessions other than a few that had been sent over earlier in the week. Like most girls her age the majority of her suit case was filled with shoes and clothing but she differed in that it was almost all military issue. She had felt at home back at Ooarai, especially with friends like Yukari and Caesar, and she wondered how the Canadian kids would take to her eccentricities. Erwin and her mother made it out of the airport without saying a word to each other. The woman knew that her daughter was pissed off about moving and decided that there was nothing she could say for the moment to make it better. The girl was just going to have to get over it.

They got outside and a man waved to them. Erwin had seen her step dad a few times but had always avoided meeting him in person, giving an excuse for getting out of the house whenever she knew he was coming around. He was probably around six foot, and had short fair hair. He wore a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jeans. Erwin's mother waved back. They drew close and the two adults hugged.

"Hey Riko!" He said, ruffling Erwin's hat. She went rigid and stared forwards, avoiding eye contact.

"Hi Frank" She grunted in reply to his greeting. She didn't feel comfortable with the man touching her. He had fucked her mother behind her dads back and was dragging her across the pacific to start a new life when she had been perfectly happy with her old one. She had no reason to like the man.

Erwin's mother huffed at her daughter's obvious display of distaste but didn't comment. She turned and walked alongside Frank, picking up a conversation that they must have started last time they had been together. Erwin tagged a little ways behind, dragging her feet. She took off her hat and repaired the damage Frank had done to her hair before carefully putting the peaked cap back on her head and adjusting it. They got to a red pick up truck and Frank picked up his wife's and her daughters bags, putting them in the back. _Typical _thought Erwin, looking with disdain at the big utility vehicle. She climbed in the back seat and her mother got in the front.

Their route took them through downtown. Erwin had to admit that it was a nice city. The buildings were modern looking and there were trees everywhere. They soon left downtown and after heading through a park and over a bridge they were on the highway. On their right were mountains and to their left was an incredible view of a body of water. Off in the distance islands could be seen. It was a clear afternoon and the water sparkled in the sun light. Sailing boats could be seen as well as larger yachts. Soon they were entering a ferry terminal and after waiting an hour in line they were on the ferry.

After getting out of the car Erwin headed to the deck. She wanted to avoid any conversations with her mother and step dad and felt like getting some fresh air. They were just leaving the dock as she got outside and she headed to the back of the boat, watching the wooden and concrete structure fade into the distance. The salty ocean air and seagulls over head reminded her of Ooarai, and made her feel homesick. Her heart ached at the thought of the life she had left. She propped her elbows on the railing and rested her head on her crossed arms, staring out at the coastline passing by. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the sun on her face and the breeze on her neck.

A particularly strong gust of wind past by the ferry and she was pulled from her reverie when her hat was sent tumbling off her head. She gasped and her eyes shot open as she felt the unfamiliar absence of weight on her head. She spun around, grasping at the precious peaked hat but it danced out of her reach. She took off at a sprint, glad that she was wearing shorts and combat boots which were easy to run in. The hat drifted along the deck at speed and much to Erwin's horror it was heading for the back of the ship. It would tumble off and be lost forever.

Erwin had given up hope when it started sliding under the railing but just as it teetered on the edge a foot shot down and caught it, the tip of a shoe pinning the brim of the hat against the edge of the deck. Erwin bent over and grabbed it, placing it back on her head before turning to the hats rescuer.

A boy smiled down at Erwin. He was tall compared to the girl, probably at six foot one or two. He had tanned skin and wore cargo shorts and a t-shirt. He had black hair and looked half Asian. She smiled up at him and bowed, thanking him. He looked confused and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, no need to bow? Any ways no problem, I would have been a dick if I let it slide off the boat" he said, obviously confused by her display of gratitude. Erwin suddenly remembered that people didn't bow to each other in North America and her face went red with embarrassment.

"Sorry, where I'm from we bow to each other when we want to show gratitude. I'm not really sure of the customs here." She said awkwardly. _The first person I meet and I screw it up _she thought to herself.

"Nothing to apologize for" He grinned. "Where are you from anyways?"

"Japan, I just arrived today. I'm going to Port Ryan? I don't know if you've heard of it..." She said, she didn't really know anything about the town, and in turn didn't know how big it was.

"Heard of it? I'm from there." He laughed. "I'm on my way back from a tournament with my team" he continued. Erwin was immediately curious. Could they have sensha-do teams in North America?

"What sort of team is it?" She asked.

"Lacrosse, we were playing out in Coquitlam" he said.

"Oh, I was thinking... never mind" She said, disappointment obvious in her eyes

"You don't like lacrosse? I guess I can understand" He sounded hurt.

"Oh no it's not that" Erwin replied, smiling. "In fact I've never even heard of it. It's just that I thought you would... uh never mind" It would be awkward if she told him how she was hoping he would say he was on a tankery team. She didn't think they had Tankery in North America, and even if they did boys presumably wouldn't be allowed in, just like Japan. "What grade are you in?" She asked, trying to change the subject. Talking about tankery was making her feel even more homesick.

"Eleven. I guess we'll be going to the same school. There's only the one in Port Ryan" the boy said. Erwin realised that she still didn't know his name.

"Cool, me too, maybe we'll have some of the same classes." She liked the boy and honestly did hope for that. It helped that he was attractive.

"Ya definitely. I got to get going but I'll see you around" He started walking towards a group of boys their age farther down the deck but turned back. "I didn't get your name" He called back.

"Erwin" She replied. "And yours?"

"Mitchell" He said before heading back to his friends.

Erwin smoothed the front of her jacket down with her hands. She walked back down the ship to where she had been standing before. An announcement over the intercom told her that they would be arriving at their first destination, which happened to be Port Ryan, in five minutes. She decided to wait a bit before going back to her mother and step father. She was still pissed off about her situation but felt a little better about it after meeting someone from the town.

"So why's she got the weird hat?" Sam asked.

"I don't know. I didn't ask" Replied Mitchell. He looked back but the girl had walked down the deck and out of sight.

"Well she looked like a nut to me" Calvin said. He was a little shorter than Mitchell, and had cropped blonde hair. He wasn't too bright, but was a really nice guy and loved working on cars.

"Hey, she was nice. I don't know why she's got the get up but she seemed fine to me. Apparently she just moved here from Japan." Mitchell retorted. He had thought her a bit odd but she was nice. And he had thought she was pretty cute.

"Why Port Ryan? Why would any one move to point Ryan?" Sam asked. He was the shortest of the three friends and had buzzed ginger hair. His friends would often joke about his height and he was always spoiling for a fight.

"I don't know. We only talked for like a minute, I didn't get a chance to interrogate her."

"Well we're almost back, we should head down to the car" Calvin chipped in. He had been held back a grade and had turned seventeen earlier in the year. He had his driver's license and the three friends had enjoyed not having to have a parent drive them to the tournament.

After getting off the ferry they drove for ten minutes to a near by Tim Horton's. The three boys got food and sat around a table to eat. They were quite tired from their recent tournament but happy to be home. They chatted for a while about the upcoming school year and sports before heading back to the car. It had started to cloud over as they drove down the coastal highway and Mitchell could see the waves crashing against the cliffs down below. He leaned his head against the passenger window and stared down at the ocean until his breath fogged up the glass. They were all exhausted and excited to get home and get some rest. Despite this Mitchells mind was still on the girl from the ferry.

Calvin dropped him off at the end of the road that led to his house and he grabbed his gear from the trunk. He and his mom lived near the edge of town, not too far from the highway. He stared up at the sky as he walked and wondered if it was going to rain. The clouds had gathered and held the ominous grey half light that fore shadowed the rain that often would last for days at a time on the coast. It was only a couple hundred metres from the main road to his house and he had told Calvin to drop him off so he could get a walk in. His legs were sore from the almost constant exercise over the past few days and he wanted to get the blood flowing as well as get some fresh air. It had stunk in the car.

The house he lived in was of medium size but not in great repair. His dad had left a long time ago and his mother had struggled on her own. She was of Chinese descent and had lost her relationship with her family after running off with Mitchell's dad. She had been an alcoholic for a while after he left her and although she had over come the addiction she still drank a lot. She did work but it was only part time in retail and the rest of the time she spent in Vancouver with her boy friend.

Mitchell unlocked the door and quietly put his bag down in the hall. The lights were off in the house and the only illumination came from the dim sunlight outside.

"Mom?" Mitchell called out. There was no reply and he assumed that she was either at work or in Vancouver. He wouldn't know until the evening when she would either come home or not. He headed upstairs to have a shower. After he had dried off he pulled on sweat pants and a baggy iron maiden shirt before putting KD in the microwave for dinner. It was almost dark out and he went around the house flicking on lights before he was drawn back to the kitchen by the beeping of the microwave.

He was dismayed to find that the fridge was almost void of food but there was a jug of milk and he poured himself a glass to go with his dinner. He didn't bother sitting down and ate leaning up against the counter with the hockey game playing over the radio. He dumped the dirty dishes onto a growing stack in the sink and went out to the garage. Last year he had got a job in the local hardware store working after school and on weekends. He had saved his money and as soon as he turned sixteen he had gotten his motor cycle license. He didn't have enough money to get anything really amazing but had bought a 2006 Kawasaki ninja on craigslist from a guy on the mainland. As it happened the bike had been a mess, which had explained the low price, and he was still in the process of getting parts and fixing it up. But it would be done soon.

He spent a couple hours working on the bike. After he was done he lovingly draped a quilt he had bought from a thrift store across it and turned off the lights. He cleaned up in the bathroom and headed off to bed. Despite the fact that he was exhausted, sleep didn't come easily. The girl from the boat was on his mind, which worried him considering he had barely met her. He groaned and rolled onto his front, face buried in the pillow. He fell asleep a little while later.

Erwin sat in silence in the back of the pickup truck. The scenery was quite spectacular, the forested mountains meeting the ocean. Despite this it was cloudy and she was still in a bad mood. She leaned against the door of the car, trying to look as unhappy as possible and hoping that her mother would look back. She knew that whatever she did, her mother's decision would remain unchanged. She wasn't going back to Japan, no matter how hard she complained or how miserable she acted.

Soon they were passing through the town proper. Erwin was dismayed at how dismal it looked. The stores were mainly chains and the houses were cookie cutter suburban style. Luckily the downtown area was nicer, with specialty stores and restaurants. It wasn't long before they were heading back out of town. Frank explained that the house was just down the road from the mill. He told Erwin that she would love it; that she would cheer up when she saw the house.

Erwin did, in fact, cheer up when she saw the house. Driving along the main road they turned off and soon came to the drive way of the house. It wasn't so much a house as a small mansion. It looked old, but it was beautiful. Frank said that it had been constructed along with the mill for the first owner, back in the 20's. A wide porch swept around to a veranda on the side. The house was made of bricks and had white washed wooden panelling. Erwin tried not to show it but she was ecstatic.

They got out of the car and Erwin grabbed her backpack. The air was humid and sticky from the combination of the late summer heat and the low hanging clouds. She wondered if it was going to rain. Frank held the screen door open for Erwin and her mother and they entered the house. The house was big, and Erwin spent ten minutes running from room to room, exploring every area. She finally decided on a bedroom that over looked the front of the house. There were a few fields, property of a farm across the rode and she could make out forests and a mountain beyond that.

The room was big, at least compared to her room back in Japan. There was a large queen sized bed against a wall but aside from that the room was barely furnished. Frank had only just moved in himself and there were unopened card board boxes sitting on what little furniture that was already in the room, being a dresser and a wardrobe. There was a walk in closet that Erwin didn't bother exploring. She flopped down on the bed and the springs creaked under her slight weight. She stretched her arms and yawned. Despite her nap on the plane she was tired.

Erwin rolled off the bed. She still had work to do and had no time for lying around. Boxes needed to be unpacked and she had left her bag downstairs. She spent the rest of the evening unpacking and listening to music. She ate dinner with her mother and step father in the spacious kitchen over looking the massive back yard. The kitchen was almost entirely lit by natural light coming through the windows. The sun had sunk below the cloud layer, and the rays of deep golden light picked up the drops of rain that had begun to fall. By the time Erwin headed up stairs she could hear the rain pattering quietly but persistently against the roof.

She finished up her room, arranging her tank models on shelves and setting her computer up in the corner on a desk. She put what little clothing she had brought in the walk in closet, which was surprisingly spacious, and finished putting her books on the book shelf. Finally she put two framed pictures on her desk. One was of the Ooarai Sensha-Do team, taken directly after their win in the nationals. The other was of Erwin and her friends, crowded around the StuG III. Yukari was clinging onto Caesars shoulders and laughing. Erwin sighed and adjusted the picture slightly.

The rain was still coming down, creating a light tapping sound. It was still a summer, and the rain held none of the malice or strength that it would in a week or two with the onset of fall. Erwin set her Schirmmütze hat on the bed side table and hung her field marshal uniform over the chair next to her desk. After pulling on a t-shirt and pyjama pants she crawled into bed. She was a bit worried about going to the new school in the morning, but fell asleep quickly.

Erwin was not a morning person. She never had been and chances were that she never would. She had been smacking at the snooze button every time the alarm clock attempted to drag her from her sleep for the past half hour. It was about the seventh time it had gone off when she finally rolled onto her back and turned the alarm off. She groaned and groggily pulled herself into an upright position before rubbing the sleep from her eyes with clenched fists. She jumped with horror when she saw the time. It was eight ten and school started at eight-thirty five. She rushed to the bathroom, and stormed back out a second later, trying in vain to fix her hair while brushing her teeth. She shoved her hat on her head and pulled on her jacket before heading back to the washroom to wash her mouth out. She wore a pair of shorts and had a t-shirt on underneath her German jacket. It felt weird to be going to school without a uniform.

Ten minutes later and she was waiting for the bus. The rain had cleared up over night and the sky was clear. The morning sun beat down on the girl and she shifted her hat to cover her face from getting burned. When the bus arrived she got on and put a few coins in to pay. She took a seat near the back and pulled her book from her bag. She read for the ten minute ride to school. When she arrived she checked her phone and was happy to see that it was eight-thirty. She still had a little time to get to class.

The school was surprisingly nice considering what she had seen of the town so far. It was modern looking, more so than Ooarai, and reasonably bigger. Erwin still found the idea of a school not being on a ship a bit foreign. Other students were filling in through the doors and the ex-tank commander followed behind. She got a few funny looks, presumably due to her out fit, but she ignored them. She had gotten used to it a long time ago, and luckily she didn't look as out of place as her friends Caesar or Saemonza. Erwin passed another girl wearing a military jacket. _She probably doesn't know that its Flecktarn pattern _Erwin thought to herself with a chuckle. She checked her course sheet and found her homeroom number.

After taking a wrong turn and almost getting lost, Erwin made it to home room. She took a seat near the back and dropped her bag under the desk. Leaning back in her chair she listened to the teacher. They would be choosing courses, getting forms for schools fees to take home and get signed, yadda yadda yadda. The teacher passed around course selection sheets and Erwin started checking over it.

"Are you new here?" It took Erwin a second to realise she was being addressed. She turned her head to look at the girl talking to her. She had dirty blonde hair tied back in a messy bun and had angular features.

"Oh, ya. I just got here yesterday." Erwin said. She had grown up with a tight knit group of friends and although she had never had any kind of social awkwardness she wasn't amazing at making new friends. She had always been pretty confident, hence how she was able to wear a German uniform around, but she could sometimes be a little too blunt.

"Ok, what courses are you planning on taking?" The girl asked. Erwin decided that she seemed nice enough. She was obviously just trying to be friendly.

"I'm not sure. I'm just looking over them now" Erwin said. She had just started looking through the boxes. Erwin wasn't planning on taking any extra academics, that was for sure. She had never been very strong in school, never having the interest to dedicate herself to studying or even homework. She was much more interested in learning about history and could spend hours sifting through wikipedia articles and historical websites. She was scanning through the list of electives when she froze.

"Um excuse me, what is tankery?" Erwin asked slowly.

"Oh that?" The girl said, peering over at Erwin's course selections. "It's new this year. They're bringing it over from Asia if I recall correctly. It's basically a sport focused around tank combat."

Erwin nodded "So I lucked out" She said, more to herself than the girl. "Are you thinking of joining it?"

"Probably not, not too much appeal to me. Will you?"

"Ya. I did it at my old school and wasn't expecting to be able to take it here."

"Well then I'll take it too" The girls response caught Erwin off guard.

"Wow, really?"

"Ya, I don't see why not. All the other electives that interest me I've taken in other years. Plus you'll want a friend to be in it with you."

"Friend?" Erwin stammered. She said it as if she had never heard the word before.

"Ya sure, by the way what's your name?"

"Oh, uh Erwin. And yours?" She asked, still perplexed that she had already made a friend. She hadn't even been to her first class yet.

"Amy." The girl said. Just then the bell went. "Hey, you can have lunch with my friends and me if you want." Amy said as they headed out of class.

"Ya sure!" Erwin said. She was ecstatic that this girl wanted to have lunch with her. She waved good bye to Amy and headed to her first class, which was social studies. She, again, found a seat near the back. She felt tired and rested her head in her arms while she waited for class to start.

"You haven't lost the hat then?"

Erwin looked up. Mitchell was smiling down at her and laughed at her surprised expression. He took the seat next to her and leaned back with his arms behind his head.

"What electives did you take then?" He said.

"Tankery" She said, returning the smile. He visibly perked up.

"Oh ya, same! That'll be fun eh?"

"What do you mean?" Did they allow boys to take part in North America? It would make sense considering what she knew of the culture.

Before Mitchell could reply the teacher started calling out attendance. Erwin zoned out for most of the class. Despite the fact that she still missed her old friends bitterly she was happy that things were going much better than she possibly could have hoped for. She felt like she stood a solid chance of enjoying this new country. After class she said good bye to Mitchell and headed to her next class, which was math. It went by slightly less comfortably without Mitchell or Amy's presence.

After dropping off her new text books in her locker she headed to the cafeteria to get food. She was quickly thrown off from the cafeteria food when she saw other students walking passed with their meals. Apparently the standard of food didn't hold in North American compared to Japan. She decided to pass up on lunch today. It didn't take long for her to spot Amy. They ate lunch outside and Amy introduced Erwin to her two other friends, Samantha and Alisha. Samantha was tall and had brown hair just below her shoulders. Alisha was a little shorter than Amy and had long reddish hair and freckles.

It turned out that Amy's friends were as nice as she was. Erwin really enjoyed talking with them at lunch. It didn't seem like she really had any interests in common with any of the girls, but they were easy to talk to and made an effort to include Erwin in the conversation. Samantha was hilarious, and had a very dry sense of humour. Alisha was quieter but chipped in to the conversations. It turned out that the other girls had also taken tankery, and Amy seemed a little relieved about this. Erwin thought that was understandable, considering she was taking a course she knew nothing about with a girl she had only just met.

After lunch Erwin had a spare, which she spent in the library going through the history section. Last block she had tankery and she headed to the back of the school where the newly constructed sheds were. She passed through the busy halls and took a breath of fresh air as she exited the building. It was a short walk to the sheds and she enjoyed the view of the ocean that was just visible across the fields. The sun beat down on her exposed neck and she was happy to get under the cover of the garage. The shed was empty aside for a lone tank. Erwin was happy to see a Panzer IV. It bore skirts on the turret and Schürzen on the flanks of the tank, distinguishing it as an Aus. H.

Since she had just had a spare she was the first to the sheds. She climbed on top of a wooden crate as she waited. It wasn't long before more students began arriving in small groups. A group of four boys was the first to arrive. She was a little surprised, but now understood that boys were, in fact, allowed to take part. They stood in a circle, talking about something that Erwin couldn't overhear. Less than a minute later and Erwin's three new friends arrived, as well as a bunch of other teens, varying in age. Just after the bell went five boys walked in, shoving each other and laughing about something. Mitchell was among them and nodded to Erwin. She smiled and raised her hand slightly in a wave.

"You're friends with Mitchell?" Samantha asked. Before Erwin could respond the teacher walked in. He was an older looking man, and wore a brown suit and a black beret. He had a bushy white moustache and walked with a bit of a limp. The assembled students formed a semi circle around him and he began the lesson. He introduced himself as Mr. Albert, and explained that he would be instructing the new tankery course. After doing attendance he went through what tankery was, and what they could expect from the class.

They wouldn't be doing any driving today, but Mr. Albert went through the parts of the tanks and the different positions. He handed out booklets on the basics of tank driving and told the students to read over them for next class. Once everyone had got their booklet he slowly and carefully climbed up on to the turret of the panzer IV and turned to the class.

"Now, has any one been in a tank before" He asked. There was a silence and Erwin slowly raised her hand. "And what is your name, young lady." He spoke crisply and articulated his words.

"Riko, sir." She said. The teacher nodded.

"I appreciate the formalities. What tank have you been in Riko?"

"A StuG III Mr. Albert. I commanded one back in Japan."

"Well, isn't that convenient. That wouldn't happen to be the StuG III from the championship winning Ooarai girl's high school team would it Riko?"

"It would sir."

"Well then, it looks like our humble team is already at an advantage. I'm sure your talents will prove in-valuable to the team." Erwin blushed at the last remark. Mr. Albert continued. "We will take a look at the interior of the tank, and then we will see the rest of the vehicles our school has on offer. We won't be doing any driving today until you have brought in signed consent forms. I would like you all to have teams ready for me by next class."

The instructor showed the students the interior of the tank and the different operations, such as the gun sights and the drive. When they were done the whole class left the garage and went to each shed one by one. The school boasted another two panzer IVs, all of the Aus. H variant, a StuG IV, and a SdKfz 234. Erwin was confused by this last vehicle, as it was technically an armoured car and not a tank. Mr. Albert explained to her that they were taking a slightly different approach to tankery than they did in Japan. Armoured cars were allowed, as well as self propelled guns. Tournaments were fought by tank companies, with each school representing a squadron. She could read over the exact rules in the tankery booklet.

By the time they were done looking at all the different tanks the final bell had rung and it was time to head home. Erwin's three new friends were fascinated with the tanks and chatted excitedly about them as they strolled towards the bus stop. When they invited Erwin to join their crew she was more than happy to oblige.

"So then why didn't you talk to her?" Stephen laughed. He was a huge kid. He stood a little over 6'4" and had long brown hair almost down to his shoulders. He was a little over weight but it was difficult to tell because of his size. He also festered an unfortunate neck beard that he refused to get rid of, despite his friend's complaints.

"Hey, I didn't want to interrupt the teacher." Mitchell replied defensively.

"That's never stopped you in the past." Said Sam.

"I don't know; he seemed like a nice guy. Christ, get off my case." Mitchell was starting to get sick of his friends pestering. They had heard about him taking the seat next to the girl from the ferry in socials and had been razzing him about it all day. He had never had problems around girls before, but for some reason he was finding it difficult just going up to her and talking to her, and it only made his mood worse. He didn't want to talk about it and tried to change the subject.

"You want to help me with the bike this weekend, Calvin?" Mitchell asked, sounding a little too eager.

"Well I thought she was hot" Darren said bluntly, before Calvin could reply to Mitchell. He was very stocky and had wavy brown hair. He pretended to be dumb, mainly to fit, but in reality was extremely intelligent. He didn't talk much, but didn't beat around the bush when he did.

"Fuck right off Darren!" Mitchell snapped, starting to lose his temper.

"Ya I agree, she was pretty cute. Even if she does have the weird hat. I guess text me if you want to work on the bike." Calvin pitched in dopily.

"Hey, she was pretty bangin now that you mention it." Sam chirped, trying and succeeding to piss off the annoyed half Asian.

"Fuck you guys. I'm going home." Mitchell practically spat, storming off towards the bus.

"Eh, pizza later?" Sam called after his angry friend.

"Fuck you." Mitchell called back over his shoulder. The four friends burst into laughter. He got to the stop just as the bus arrived. Climbing on he showed his bus pas and sat down. He heard a sound next to him and looked over to see Erwin, who Sam had just joked about him having sex with, sitting down next to him. He hadn't noticed her getting on and if he had he would have taken the next bus.

"Hey." Mitchell said, sounding none to enthusiastic. He liked the girl but he didn't feel like talking to her after his conversation with his friends. Erwin looked hurt but made no move to leave.

"Hi." She said, forcing a smile. Mitchell immediately felt bad. She didn't have any friends in a new town and was trying to change that. He had no reason to shun her because of what his friends had said.

"I hadn't realised that you'd driven tanks before. And winning nationals is pretty impressive. Is it big where you're from?" Erwin blushed slightly at the compliment.

"Thanks. Sort of, it has gained popularity in the last few years. I guess that's why they're bringing it over here. I'm sure happy about it; I was really worried about moving to a new country to be honest."

"Well, I'm sure glad we have a veteran on our team, especially a champion veteran. I guess that must really suck losing all your friends."

"Ya, I was really sad at first. But I guess I've already made friends here." Erwin noticed that Mitchell brightened slightly at her saying this. Although she had been referring to Amy and the other girls, she did consider Mitchell a friend as well. The bus came to Erwin's stop and she stood to get up. As it happened it was Mitchells stop as well. It turned out that he lived pretty close to her, on the block next to hers. They continued their conversation until they got to the intersection where their paths split.

"I'll see you later. I would meet you tomorrow at the bus but I'm usually pretty late for school." Mitchell said.

"Well I will probably be here around eight twenty. I'm not really a morning person either."

"Alright, well maybe I'll try and be there on time." Mitchell hesitated, and he turned to leave before stopping. "Hey, do you have a phone. If you want to hang out or something..." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, uh, ya sure." They exchanged numbers and said their goodbyes. Erwin practically skipped the rest of the way home. There was no side walk and she walked along the road, next to the corn fields. The sky had remained un-clouded all day and she enjoyed the warmth on her face. The screen door slammed behind her as she ran upstairs, announcing her return to the rest of the house. Her mother called out a hello from the living room and Erwin replied happily before she remembered that she was supposed to be pissed off. She got to her room and dropped her bag. She debated doing homework before opting out to paint a challenger II model that she had been meaning to work on for a while. After putting on music and getting out her paints she got down to work.

She reflected on the day as she painted. She had made friends and started tankery again. Everyone seemed nice enough and a cute guy had asked for her number. She had never had much contact with boys back at Ooarai and no guy had asked for her number before. She considered that an achievement. If she wasn't careful then she might start enjoying herself.

** Starting a new story focussed on Erwin, as she was my favourite character from girls und panzers. Other characters from the show will probably make an appearance later on but for now it will only be Erwin. For the record there is no such town as Port Ryan, at least in Canada.**

** There have been a few things that I liked the idea of from other Girls Und Panzers fics. Planes was one of them so you can probably expect to see that. There has also been some stuff that I really have not liked. An abundance of Marry Sues, boys who kick ass and girls who suck, in-accurate portrayal of characters. All of this stuff I will try as hard as I can to avoid. If, at any point, you feel like a character has been portrayed poorly then please post a review about it or pm. Make sure you tell me exactly what I did wrong and what I should do to fix it.**

** You also won't be seeing any "prototype" tanks that people seem to be all about. I hate the world of tanks inspired view of "coffee stain on Hitler's napkin that he doodled treads and a turret on" that people seem to be so fond of. I also pride my self on my world war two knowledge so you will only be seeing real tanks.**

** Any ways, as always feedback is appreciated. I will try to update regularly but I am working on two stories at once. I will try and keep it to every other week.**


	2. Chapter 2

There was a booming sound as Mitchell impacted with the boards. He arched his back as pain shot up his spine. A split second later and he had recovered from the cross check. He turned on his assailant but the opposing defence-man was gone, the all important ball having bounced off down the rink. The enraged half Asian blinked a bead of sweat out of his eye and took off after the opposing teams player.

Mitchell was angry. Their team wasn't playing all that great, being on the losing end of a four two game. Despite the fact that games were usually violent in lacrosse, this game was really turning into a real shit show, as the coach called really rough games. There had already been two fights and they were only half way through the second period. Mitchell could feel himself getting carried away with the action, being one of the more aggressive players on the team.

Mitchel's shoulder hit the player who just moments before had sent him into the glass. There was a crunch as the opponent impacted with the glass. He half heard a cheer from his bench. The player tried to stand up but Mitchel's stick came down on his back in a cross check. The defence-man landed face first on the turf floor of the rink, his neck making what would be a worrying cracking noise had Mitchell not been so angry.

He broke into a jog, trying to catch up with the play, but he failed to notice the downed defenders partner bearing down on him. Mitchell was knocked off his feet and sent flying through the air. His head impacted with the boards and if it hadn't been for his helmet he would have been seriously hurt. As if he hadn't been angry enough before, he was really pissed off now.

Before the player, who moments before had sent him hurtling into the boards, could even turn back to the play Mitchell was on him. His gloves were off and one fist was slamming into the opposing players chin while the other grappled with his helmet.

The next thing Mitchell knew he was being pulled back, arms wrapping around his chest. His arms were still swinging furiously, punching the air. His face was contorted in rage and his mouth was set in a snarl. His helmet had come off and his black hair had fallen down over his face. As he started to calm down he began to regain his senses and took in his surroundings.

Mitchel's team mates were pulling him away from the defender who he had just set upon. The teenager was lying motionless on the ground, and a pool of blood was starting to pool around him. Mitchel's gaze swung left and he watched in horror as paramedics rushed onto the field. The adrenaline was starting to wear down and it was being replaced by a nauseous feeling in his gut. The other player who he had slammed into the boards behind the net was slowly getting to his feet, helped by team mates.

He had played lacrosse for a few years, since moving to Port Ryan. He loved the sport, and had been made assistant captain, being one of the best players on the team. He had always had issues with controlling his emotions, and had seen a psychologist when he was younger. It wasn't quite a disorder, but it had been an issue and lacrosse had helped him take out his anger. But he had never hurt any one before, at least not seriously. And right now there was a player who probably had a bad concussion and another who wasn't moving. He was in deep trouble.

* * *

Mitchell raised his head from his hands when he heard footsteps approaching. He was alone in the lobby of the arena and felt like he was going to throw up. A policeman walked down the empty hallway towards him and stopped in front of the panicking teenager, taking his hat off and smoothing his brown hair.

"How are you getting home?" The policeman asked. He looked young and had a deep voice.

"I was supposed to be getting a ride with a friend. Is he going to be okay?"

"Well one has a concussion, so nothing too bad. The other one will live." Mitchell breathed a sight of relief. Not only would the legal implications of a death be severe, but Mitchell didn't want another human beings death on his conscience for the rest of his life. "That isn't to say that your not still in trouble. There probably won't be charges, but you won't be playing for a while." Mitchel's head shot up at this.

"But this is literally the only thing I care about!"

"Well, you better find something else. You can expect to be out for the season. Count yourself lucky that the family isn't pressing charges."  
The police man offered Mitchell a lift home which he begrudgingly accepted. It was a two hour drive down the sunshine coast to the ferry terminal, and the officer quickly gave up attempting conversation with the teenager. They stopped in front of the small terminal and the officer asked Mitchell if he had money, to which the boy nodded in reply. Mitchell grabbed his bag from the back seat and started walking down the darkened ramp to the terminal when the man called after him.

"Hey kid. I know you're upset, but I'm serious when I say that you should be bloody grateful that you got off as lightly as you did. You could have killed that boy out there. And when somebody gives you a drive you say thank you." Mitchell turned back with a grimace before realizing that he should be grateful and had every reason to be happy. He had gotten way too into the game and had almost killed someone and was being rude to a man who was trying to help him.

"Ya, thanks. I appreciate it." And he meant it.

Mitchell watched as the lights of the police car retreated into the darkness of the coastal road. He bought a ticket and leaned against one of the supports of the dock. The sea looked pitch black, the stark white of the foam rising and falling against the supports standing in contrast to the ocean around it. It had failed to cloud over when night had fallen and the moon stood bright, high up in the sky, casting a wavering reflection on the almost still ocean below. It was almost fall now, and the moon stood big and round in the night sky.

It wasn't long before the lights of the approaching ferry became visible in the distance. Within ten minutes it had docked and the few passengers that were on disembarked. The dock was small and in-active, warranting one of the smaller open topped ferries. Mitchell followed the two waiting cars on and headed to the front of the boat, leaning against the railing with his lacrosse bag over his shoulder. It was a Sunday night and he had school tomorrow morning, although he didn't know if he would be going.

A few hours later and he was walking along the road leading up to his house. It was little surprise that the house was dark; his mother had left early Friday morning and he didn't expect her back until mid week. After laying his gear out to dry he had a long shower before going to bed.

* * *

Mitchell didn't end up going to first class, and came in late to the second class. He had been planning on heading home at lunch when he was called to the principles just before the bell went. He grabbed his bag and walked toward the office, wondering what he was being called in for.

The principle was sipping at a coffee and looking over some papers when Mitchell walked in. The greying man smiled and shook the teenagers hand, offering him a seat. Mitchell took it, and slumped back in the comfortable chair. The principle, Mr. Thompson, got right down to business.

"Your actions last night have put me in a difficult position Mitchell." The principle said. Mitchell looked embarrassed and fiddled with the collar of his hoody.

"Why is that sir? I understand that what I did was wrong but I don't see how it effects school."

"You are taking Tankery as an elective, correct?"

"Yes Mr. Thompson."

"I guess you wouldn't know about the politics of the sport. As you know, it's new to North America, and despite it already having been established in Germany and other European nations, I'm sure you will understand that we are mainly bringing it over from Japan."

"I knew that. But how does it effect me?"

"Well, I'm getting to that. Because Japan played a big role in the establishment of Tankery in Canada and the United States, there was pressure to carry over certain traditions as well. For example, did you know that Tankery is girls only in Japan?"

"I didn't know that. But I still don't understand how this effects me. Obviously we have allowed boys to partake in it."

"Ah, but that is where you come in. We are all on a slippery slope. Obviously the idea of boys not taking part in Tankery seemed strange to everyone here in North America. But that doesn't change the fact that the Japanese provided arguments against it. Arguments that some would be able to take into consideration if there were any accidents." Mitchell was starting to understand.

"So you're saying that after last night, you don't trust me to drive a tank. You're worried that I will screw it up for everyone with a repeat performance of last night."

"Exactly. I don't want you to think we're trying to punish you for your actions."

"With all due respect, now that I can't play lacrosse for the rest of the season I would really rather stay in Tankery. It really interested me and I won't really have anything to do if I get kicked out. Can't you at least give me a chance?" Mitchell said, gritting his teeth. He hadn't really had a chance to try it yet, but he and all his friends had been talking about it over the weekend. They were all really stoked to drive in tanks together.

"Well Mitchell, it would only take one mistake. I'm not saying that a single slip will definitely spell the end for boys in Tankery, but it is a distinct possibility, a distinct possibility that neither I or my colleagues want to risk."

"But that's not fair. You have to at least give me a chance!" Mitchell said, starting to get upset. He hadn't realized how much he wanted to do Tankery. The principle thought for a moment.

"Alright Mitchell, I'll make you a deal. If you can keep it together, and if Mr. Albert say's that you're doing alright, then we will let you take part. But keep in mind that you're on a short leash."

"Thanks Mr. Thompson. I promise that you will not regret your decision."

* * *

Erwin was walking home from school and enjoying the sun, which had lasted so far but was projected to turn to rain by the weekend. It was Thursday, and the week had gone by quickly. School seemed to be as boring as it was back at Ooarai, and despite her agreeable first impressions there was a lot of people who she simply couldn't stand. It seemed like most of the girls were spectacularly thick, cliches of North American culture. And a lot of the boys seemed to be thoughtless jerks.

The whole social structure of the North American school was not only complex and confusing, but also seemingly completely irrational. Girls, who were astonishingly boring and generally nasty, rose to the top on looks alone. Erwin was extremely grateful that her friends weren't like this. They didn't make fools of themselves or others in an attempt to become popular, and seemed very down to earth. But even with her new friends, school was still tedious.

The only thing she was really enjoying was her three new friends and Tankery. They had been assigned their tanks: Erwin, Sam, Amy and Alisha taking the StuG IV, the five lacrosse boys taking a Panzer IV, the four boys who had stood in a group on the first day and Erwin now understood to be the computer nerds taking the Puma, and the rest of the kids separating between the final two Panzer IV's. One team was a gaggle of grade nines who had joined Tankery together, and the other was a group of friends from Erwin's grade.

They hadn't had a practice match yet, but the class had still been the most enjoyable of Erwin's classes. Mr. Albert, who had been a Canadian tanker in the Korean war, went further into the details of operating tanks. Amy had chosen to drive the tank, Alisha wanted to be loader and Samantha had taken up the gunner position. They had insisted that Erwin take the commanders position and she had happily accepted. So far the classes had been spent practising driving, working on firing drills, and painting camouflage on their tanks.

Erwin had been particularly happy with this, as Mr. Albert had let her choose the pattern. She had decided on German ambush pattern, which involved spray painting brown and green blotches on top of a dark yellow base coat, or dunkelgelb. The students then applied dunkelgelb spots to the camo blotches and dark green spots to the dark yellow areas. The purpose of this, Erwin explained, was to simulate light coming through the trees and to break up the pattern, making it look more natural.

Much to Erwin's satisfaction Mr. Albert seemed to be an exceptional instructor and the teams had done a commendable job of operating their new tanks. They had quickly gotten used to the idea of compensating for shell drop, moving targets and wind direction at extreme range. That wasn't to say that they were crack shots, and firing on the move was coming slowly, but progress was moving along nicely. Mr. Albert told them that on Monday they would have a practice match, and he was in the process of organizing an expedition game against one of the Vancouver teams to prepare them for the upcoming tournament that would be taking place in the early fall.

Erwin tripped on a crack in the road and was dragged from her thoughts. She had told Amy and the other girls that she would go out for dinner with them, and she had decided that she would get her homework done for once, which meant doing it as soon as she got home from school. She meandered up the drive to her house, taking her time and subconsciously trying to avoid the inevitable boredom that would come with homework. Erwin walked through the door and started heading up the stairs when she was stopped by the sound of her mother's voice.

"Riko, do you think you could come here." Erwin sighed and started back down the stairs. Her mother only called her by her first name when she wanted to talk. Although her fury with her mother had died down to a rational level, she was still upset about the move. She wasn't pushing her mother away any more, but she hadn't made any efforts to be friendly either. She walked into the living room, where her mother was sitting on the coach, a newspaper spread out in front of her on the coffee table. Erwin took a seat across from her in a worn arm chair.

"I know that you are still upset about the move and I want to talk about it with you. I didn't want to pressure you about it earlier as you seemed... touchy." Erwin's mother had a concerned look on her face and the girl suddenly felt a pang of guilt. All this time she had been thinking about herself, and she hadn't even tried to look at it from her mothers perspective. Her mother continued.

"But I feel that talking it through will help us both. I understand that you were torn from your friends and that this has been extremely difficult. But you have to understand that I couldn't leave you in Japan. I really love Frank, and I wanted more than anything to move here with him. But I couldn't bear the thought of living without you any more. You have to understand that I have lived a lonely life, I'm sure you know that your father and I were never close."

Erwin nodded. This all made sense to her, and she regretted not thinking about how her mother felt. It must have been difficult living essentially by herself for her years, away from her daughter. And now she had a chance to establish a family before it was too late and Erwin had grown up and left home. If it was difficult for Erwin to leave her friends, then it must have been horrible for her mother to not only not have any real friends, but also be separate for so long from her daughter. Erwin had always seen her mother as cold, but perhaps that was just her way of coping.

"I guess that makes sense. I will admit that I didn't look at it from your perspective." Erwin's mother brushed the back of her hand across her face, and Erwin saw that she had tears in her eyes. She felt a pang of guilt. It must have been difficult, having made this decision, only for her daughter to barely even make eye contact with her. "And I'm sorry for the last few days." Erwin added.

"You have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you Riko." Her mother sobbed and Erwin got up from her chair and sat next to her. They embraced and then Erwin stood and headed back to her room. She was happy that she had stopped being so pig headed. It was a shame that she had left her friends, but at least she had her mother back.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon was spent working through homework at a lazy pace. It was around six when the sun began to set, and Erwin grabbed her satchel and headed out to the bus stop. She got on the bus for the short ride into town and got off at her stop. The downtown area was quite nice. There was a combination of pleasant looking cafes and boutique stores selling everything from clothes to books. The streets were lined with cast iron lamp posts. Erwin made a mental note to stop in at the book store on the weekend and see what their selection was on historical non-fiction. When she arrived at the restaurant she checked her watch and saw that she was a little late. She went in, scanning for her friends. It was a nice place, with rough hard wood floors and lit with rustic looking lamps. She spotted Samantha waving, and made her way over to the girls table. All three of them were already seated with menus.

No one minded that Erwin was a little late, and their meals arrived soon. She really enjoyed all of the girls company. Amy was very out going, Samantha was hilarious and Alisha always had something interesting to contribute to the conversation. Erwin missed the discussions and debates she would have about history with her friends back home, but she was enjoying straightforward small talk.

Eventually the conversation turned to boys. Part of the reason that Erwin had stuck with Amy and her friends was because they didn't seem as shallow or empty as many of the other North American girls. But, at the end of the day, they were teenage girls. Erwin had always been cut off from boys at Ooarai, and had never held any great interest in going out of her way to find someone, unlike her friend Saori. But that didn't change the fact that she still found them intriguing. She could tell when a boy was attractive or not, and had sometimes caught her self staring. Eventually the conversation turned to Erwin.

"Is there any one that you're interested in Erwin?" Samantha asked.

"Not really." Replied Erwin.

"But is there at least any one you've made friends with?" Amy chipped in.

"Well, I talk to Mitchell in math class. That's about it." The table went silent at this. "What?" Erwin asked.

"Well... you do know about him right?" Amy said. Erwin gave her a blank look.

"I just moved here." She noticed that Samantha looked uncomfortable.

"Well, he's a bit of a... jerk. Let's just leave it at that." Amy said.

"And he almost killed some kid last weekend in a lacrosse game." Alisha mumbled over her food.

"Oh, well he seemed nice to me." They dropped the conversation, and ate in silence for a few minutes before Amy started a slightly forced conversation about their school courses. Soon their talk went back to matters of school and Tankery, but Erwin was left wondering about what Samantha and the other girls had meant about Mitchell. She enjoyed her meal and after they had finished and paid their bill the four friends left together. The sky had darkened while they were eating and the lamps illuminated up the street outside. The moon was high in the sky and it's soft white light competed in the shadows with the yellow glow of the lamps.

Erwin's friends walked her to the bus stop and she waved good bye to them as they left down the dark main street. She had never been in the down town area at night and she felt a bit nervous. She could hear the muffled sounds of a drunk emerging from an alley a little ways away. It wasn't long before the lights of the bus made themselves visible around the corner and Erwin was felt some relief when she stepped into the glowing electric light of the bus. It was a quick ride home and she went to bed soon after arriving.

* * *

The weekend was spent working through homework and reading. True to the forecast, the rain started midday Saturday. She had a great time watching a tacky romance comedy Saturday night at Samantha's, which the four girls enjoyed picking holes in. Erwin got home late and went on her computer, listening to music while absentmindedly browsing face book and reading a book. At around two am an icon popped up on her screen, indicating that Saori had logged in to her Skype. After a brief dialling period Saori, a delighted expression on her face, appeared on screen.

After a lively hello from Saori there was a shout from somewhere off screen and Miho and Hana appeared. Erwin said hi to the three girls, and they immediately started bombarding her with questions about the new town. Erwin answered them as quickly as she could before a new question was thrown at her. She was elated to see that her friends were so happy to see her.

Erwin described the town and the school to the three girls, and went on to talk about her three new friends and the Tankery program. The Japanese girls were thrilled that Erwin had found agreeable friends so quickly. Miho was interested in the tanks that the Port Ryan Secondary team was comprised of, and there was a gasp of shock when they found out that not only were there armoured cars, but boys were allowed to participate in the sport.

"You mean to say that there are boys competing alongside you?" Hana asked, in her usual mild-mannered tone but hinting on bewilderment. Both Miho and Hana were astonished that boys were allowed in tanks, mainly because it was completely unheard of in Japan.

"I was doing some research, and apparently it's the norm in many countries. Japan has always gone for an conservative approach to sensha-do, but many countries, especially in Eastern and Southern Europe, have always had boys." Saori wasn't so interested in the aspect of boys in Tankery as much as the implications.

"Well, are there any cute boys on the team?" Both Miho and Hana let out groans.

"Well there are a couple. But I am more interested in the tanks and my friends." Erwin said, turning her nose up and tutting.

"Oh well, I always did think it was a little odd how you spent so long on that reconnaissance against Pravda with Yukari." Saori said, laughing. Erwin was startled and back-peddled.

"Well, for your information there are plenty of cute boys. Our Puma driver, Cam, seems nice enough. And there's another guy called Mitchell who I sit with on the bus." This really had the girls howling with laughter, Erwin having never been one to show a whole lot of interest in boys.

"She was only fooling with you Riko" Hana said, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Well, good luck with getting a boyfriend. And just message me on face book if you want any tips." Saori said, pulling herself together.

"I better get going, it's really late here. But I'll try and talk to you guy some time during the week. We have a practice match Monday between the team, so I'll let you guys know how that goes."

The friends said their goodbyes and Erwin logged off, shutting down her computer. The full moon had started its descent by the time Erwin had changed into her pyjama pants and t-shirt, and she let out a yawn as she crawled into bed. After stretching to flick the light switch on the wall she fell asleep, dreams of ambush pattern painted tanks and her Japanese friends flitting through her head.

* * *

Monday dragged by painfully slowly. Erwin couldn't wait for last block where she would finally be able to battle tanks again. Just the thought of taking the new StuG IV into combat made her excited, and she caught her self jittering her leg a few times, a habit she had thought to have dropped when she was a child. When the bell announced the end of third block she practically ran to the tank hanger, waiting impatiently for the others to arrive. Many of the of the other students held similar excitement to the Japanese girl, although none were quite at the same level. Despite this, Erwin did her best to maintain her calm demeanour, and felt that she wasn't letting on just how she felt.

Mr. Albert arrived, and the class got right down to business. The class was divided into two teams. Mitchel's tank, with the lacrosse boys under him, were in their panzer IV. Also on his team was a girl named Amber commanding another panzer IV, crewed by a group of grade elevens. Finally there was Nick, commanding the Puma armoured car. Erwin's team only consisted of the StuG IV, commanded by herself, and a Panzer IV that was crewed by a group of five grade nines, led by a boy named Parker.

After a brief explanation of their objective, which would be straight elimination, and making sure everyone understood the boundaries, the groups set off for their starting locations. They would be battling in the forest near the school, and the last team standing would be victorious.

After they had left the hangers, and were on their way to the forest, Erwin pushed open her commanders hatch and lifter herself out of her seat so that she was sitting on the edge of the cupola. The armoured car, three tanks and assault gun drove in a line down the dirt road, and Mitchel's panzer IV was just ahead of them. He too had pulled himself out of his tank and rested with the wind in his hair. Erwin waved and he nodded in reply. A boy with long un-kept hair, wearing a Metallica shirt, opened the loaders hatch and leaned out.

Mr. Albert was tagging along behind in a Dingo scout car. He boasted a pair of binoculars and, after stopping the column and going over starting positions once more, he broke off, disappearing off down the dirt road between the trees to an unseen vantage point. There were a few taunts thrown back and forth before the two teams split off and headed their separate ways.

Erwin's team's starting position was just off of the dirt track, in a glade about thirty metres across. There was a pond, that was more of a large puddle, in the middle of the glade and long grass grew around the edge of the water. It was early afternoon and the sun was still high in the sky, shining down between the coniferous and maple trees. A light breeze moved through the forest and a few needles, dry from the hot summer, drifted lazily down in spirals. Erwin absent mindlessly drew circles on the top of the StuG with her finger while she waited for the match to start. She wondered how the ambush camouflage would work out.

There was a crackle over the radio and Erwin dropped back into the assault gun. Mr. Albert's voice came over the radio, counting down to match start. Erwin began her usual pre-battle mental preparations when she realized that no one was in charge of the team. True, there was only one other tank, but Erwin was used to having orders given to her. She had not even considered what strategy to take. She pressed her fingers in her ears, blocking out the crackle of Mr. Albert's voice, in an attempt to concentrate on the correct course of action. She quickly scanned over her paper map of the area that had been tucked just below the commanders hatch.

"Go!" Came the voice over the radio. Erwin snapped her head up and pulled her headphones onto her head. The tanks at Port Ryan Secondary had not been afforded the luxury of neck microphones, so they had to make do with simple over the ear headphones and mics.

"Parker, come in." Erwin said, pulling her self back up out of the tank.

"This is Jaime, go ahead Erwin." Jaime was Parker's radio operator, one of three girls on the team.

"If you look a little to the west you will see a hill, around quadrant four D. I want to move to that hill. Notice how the hill wraps around a little? I want you guys to deploy on the south western edge of that hill, just below the ridge so only your turret is poking over. That way we can point towards the road and you will have a cross fire on any one advancing on our position. Do you copy?"

"Sounds good Erwin, we will meet you there."

The two tanks engines burst into life, and they took off. Moving out of the clearing they got back onto the dirt track, and followed it west until they got to the hill that Erwin had seen on the map. It was disappointingly smaller than the map had lead Erwin to believe, but it would do. She got Amy to manoeuvre the tank so it was parked on the north eastern edge of what was really more of an "L" shaped embankment. The tank rocked on its suspension as it came to a halt, and Amy threw Erwin a thumbs up. Peering into the vision blocks mounted around the cupola Erwin could see that the Panzer IV had followed her instructions well, having only their camouflaged turret peeking out from above the rise. The canopy blocked out a lot of the sunlight, and the tanks were difficult to see.

Just then the sound of an engine could be heard approaching through the forest. The dirt track passed about a hundred metres from where the StuG and the Panzer IV were hull down. Erwin pushed herself out of the cupola and scanned along the road with her binoculars, trying to pick out the incoming vehicle through the dense foliage. She spotted movement, and a second later the Puma armoured car could be seen, moving along the track at a clip. Erwin dropped back down and began giving orders. She knew next to nothing about commanding a group of tanks, but she had spent the last season commanding a tank, and giving orders to a crew had become second nature. The StuG was an assault gun, meaning the cannon was fixed to the hull. As such, it would have to rotate to bring the gun to bear on the fast moving eight wheeled car. Peeking out through one of the vision blocks Erwin visually lined the seven point five centimetre cannon up with the target.

"Amy, bring us around a little to the left. Slow and steady. Samantha, get ready to fire, on my mark." Samantha blew a strand of brown hair out of her face and pressed her eye to the gun sight. The tank lurched as Amy brought it to life. It jerked in the intended direction but the blonde driver over shot the motion. The assault gun rocked on its suspension and then slowly corrected. "Good work Amy." Erwin switched over to the team channel.

"Parker, I want you to hold fire." Hopefully they could keep the medium tanks location hidden for as long as possible. In hindsight it would have been better to keep the StuG, with its low profile, in ambush. The puma, oblivious to the looming threat, had now brought itself within three hundred metres of the waiting panzers. If it got any closer they would have to traverse the hull of the assault gun more to correct their angle.

"Load AP" There was the banging of metal on metal as Alisha slotted a shell into the cannon, and then a clank as the breach was slammed shut. "Samantha, when you're ready. Fire."

The StuG rocked backwards from the blast, the shell rocketing from the barrel. The tank was filled with the smell of propellant and the brass casing clattered out of the breech. Erwin had lost sight of the Puma when the gun had fired, but before she could spot it Samantha gave away the result of the teams first shot fired in combat.

"Boo ya! Got him!" The tall girl slapped her palm against the roof of the tank. Erwin could now see the armoured car. Oily black smoke was swirling from the elongated rear of the vehicle, and it listed to one side. It had

drifted a few feet after taking the hit and now rested almost perpendicular to the direction of the road.

"Great shot Samantha!" Erwin congratulated. The shot had not actually been all that difficult, considering the range and the angle the tank had been to the enemy, but Erwin still understood that making any first shot was difficult, with nerves and all. Just as Amy turned around to hive five the gunner Alisha gave a shout.

"It's not dead guys!" Erwin looked in horror to see the small turret of the vehicle traversing. They must have only knocked out the engine. The small five centimetre gun of the Puma was ineffective against any moderately armoured tank at range, but up close it held the distinct possibility of danger.

"Load AP." Erwin said, calmly. If there was one thing she prided herself on, it was the ability to keep her nerve when things didn't go her way, especially in battle. Alisha began slotting another shell into the cannon, but fumbled with it. Just then there was a bang off to the right. The armoured car rocked and there was the distinctive clicking sound of the white flag deploying.

"Thank you Parker." Erwin said. She breathed a sight of relief. There had been no way they were going to get their shot off before the armoured car did, and the panzer IV had probably just saved them.

"No problem Erwin, but that truck probably just reported our position." Replied Jaime. Erwin was starting to understand why the tanks had silly animal names back at Ooarai. It felt awkward referring to their team mates by their commanders name.

"Well, we can wait for them to come to us. We have the advantage in terms of position, and it's now two on two."

"Alright. I guess we'll hold tight over here then."

An ominous silence fell over the forest, broken only by the chirping of birds and the rustle of the wind through the branches of the trees. After fifteen minutes Erwin was considering giving the order to move out when they heard the throaty roar of an engine approaching. This time it was the definite growl of a tank.

"Amy, turn the tank to face up the road. Alisha, load armour piercing." Erwin said before switching on her mic. "Jaime, tell Parker to hold fire until he can see they're side armour."

"Got it Erwin." The grade nine girl replied. Alisha loaded the shell, then opened up her hatch, peering out.

"I don't see it yet." The girl said nervously. Erwin was almost regretting suggesting ambush camouflage, as she would have easily spotted the dunkelgrau Panzer IV of Ooarai by now. Another half minute passed by in anxious silence. Then they spotted it.

"You see it Sam?" Erwin asked the gunner.

"Ya, I got it. Just tell me when." The girl grunted in reply. All her concentration was on the periscope in front of her and adjusting the small wheels that controlled the cannons lateral traverse. Erwin's eyes focused on the approaching medium tank. Her mouth was set in a determined grimace.

"Fire." The tank shook, and the round streaked through the trees, tearing through any branches or bushes that got in the way. Samantha let out a cry of frustration as the round narrowly missed the front of the tank, slamming into a tree on the other side of the logging road with a crack and a shower of splinters. Alisha immediately grabbed for another shell.

"Load." The shell was slammed into place. There was no hesitation this time. Erwin opened her mouth to give the order to fire, but before the words could even leave her lips the enemy tank barked its reply. A shell closed the five hundred metres between the two tanks and slammed into the embankment that the gun of the StuG poked over. There was a clattering noise as earth and rocks rained down on the low profile tank. Erwin was stunned momentarily by the close call but quickly regained her composure.

"Fire!" This time Samantha did not miss. The shell impacted with the front of the enemy tank in a shower of sparks and bits of metal. But much to Erwin's dismay it seemed to have done negligible damage, as the tank started up, advancing on the assault gun.

"Let's pull them back into the trap. Amy, reverse." Erwin called down to the driver below her. The tank rocked angrily before the gears kicked into action and they began moving backwards, mulching a rotting log behind them and crushing bushes. As they reversed Erwin tried to relax, and consider the situation. The enemy armoured car was downed on the road, one of the enemy tanks was advancing up said road, so where was the final tank? Just then there was the report of a seven point five centimetre cannon. They were now behind the cover of the hill, but Erwin unbuttoned and was able to peer over the edge is she stood up straight.

The enemy had fallen right into their trap. Shouldering past the armoured car they had continued pressing down the road. Parker's tank had held their fire and as the panzer IV had turned off the road they had fired, knocking out the medium tank. Erwin pumped her fist in the air.

"Great Job Parker, and compliments to your gunner." Erwin said. She dropped back into the tank. Only one tank left.

"Sorry Erwin, I should have hit that shot." Samantha said apologetically.

"It's no problem. You can't get every shot lined up perfectly, and they were a little farther away then that first tank."

Samantha was about to reply to the consolation when there was snapping sound off to the right, and the roar of engines. Erwin clambered out of the hatch. She stared in horror as the final enemy panzer barrelled down on their position. Another tree came smashing down, pine needles and tree bark flying everywhere. Erwin could see the half Asian commander unbuttoned; one elbow propped against the side of the cupola, the other hand keeping him upright. The tank fired and the shot went wide of Parker's panzer IV, striking the small hill. Dirt was thrown into the air. Erwin dropped back into the relative safety of the assault gun.

"Amy, bring us back, head for the track. Sam, we're going to back up so get ready to fire. Alisha, load an AP round." Erwin spoke with confidence but she was terrified of the tanks violent entrance. She had fallen into a blunder, failing to even consider that the enemy would try and stealthily flank around through the thick woods. _This is how the French must have felt when the Germans went through the Ardennes _The Japanese girl thought, cursing her own careless disregard to the enemies ability. _It's impressive that they were able to push that tank through the trees so quietly until the last moment_.

Parker's tank began turning to face the new threat. The turret traversed but fired its shot too early. The shot flew wide of the advancing enemy tank and landed farther off in the gloom of forest, sending a flock of birds screeching into the sky. Mitchel's next shot didn't miss, slamming into the turret of the floundering tank and knocking it out. Erwin watched in dismay as her team mate was downed. She had failed them, putting them in a static position that had left them hopelessly exposed to the flanking tank. But she wouldn't lose.

"Amy, get us onto the logging road and take us north. I want to get out of these woods" Erwin said over the radio. The sound of the grinding treads and cannon firing out side made it impossible to communicate with out the headphones. Amy nodded and the tank jolted into reverse, moving the final few metres onto the hard packed dirt of the road. They accelerated off north. Behind them the downed armoured car and tank sat on the road, basking in the warmth of the late afternoon sun. There was a crashing sound as the enemy panzer IV crashed through the forest towards the road, trying to give chase to the disappearing StuG.

Erwin sat back in her commanders seat with a huff. The battle had started out so well, but she realized that was more by the skill, or luck, of the crews then by their deployment. The armoured car had stood no real chance of spotting them from the road, and Nick and his crew had thrown away the advantage of their unobtrusive size. Amber's panzer IV coming down the road had been knocked out with fire superiority. If it had struck at the same time as the other tank, which had probably been the plan, then Erwin's tank would have been sporting a white flag back in the forest. She was disappointed but accepting that her first attempt at command had been a failure.

The crew sat in silence as they drove down the dirt road. Erwin pulled down the map from its place overhead and scanned it quickly. They were heading away from the starting area and in a minute or two they would be out of the forest all together, onto an abandoned stretch of high way that had used to be a main route on the island until a new ferry terminal was built. Erwin was wishing that the battle could have started there, where they wouldn't have been hindered by the brutal confined fighting amongst the trees. Alisha opened her hatch and peered back the way they had come. Her long reddish hair flowed out behind her in the draft built by the tank. She popped back in a moment later, checking over her position.

"Did you see them Alisha? Are they after us?" Erwin asked. She was worried that they would pull another fast one like they did at the hillock.

"Ya, I think I could see them." The quiet girl replied. The road was relatively straight and they had been at the bottom of a shallow valley. "They're a ways back, and I wouldn't have seen them if it weren't for the dust rising up." Erwin nodded, satisfied. They had a little breathing room before they would have to turn around and re-engage. She wanted to do the rest of the fighting on her own terms, preferably in the open ground of the old high-way. The blonde commander referenced their position on the map to the low ridge they were ascending.

"Amy, we're going to be going for about another ten minutes. The first turn I want you to take a left. This will bring us out to the highway, and hopefully we can engage them from long range." Erwin said, staring down at the map in her lap.

"Sounds good boss." The driver replied. It was a little under ten minutes when they got to the turn, and Amy slammed the tank hard around the corner. The metal beast leaned to the side, inertia pulling it down on one side towards the ground. The suspension groaned and Erwin clung on for dear life, expecting the tank to skid out and off the road. But Amy kept the tank on course, and didn't skid out. To her credit, the young driver didn't even seem remotely fazed.

"Amy, what was that?" Erwin asked, surprised. The performance would have been worthy of a compliment from Mako.

"What?" Amy replied. She seemed surprised, unsure of what Erwin was impressed with.

"That turn. You just tore around a narrow corner and barely lost any speed." Erwin said.

"Oh. I don't know, I just didn't think we had time to lose any speed."

"Well how did you do it? Many of the drivers on my team back home could only pull something like that off on a good day."

"Well, I've always driven atvs at my families summer cottage. We race each other around the dirt tracks. I guess it just felt natural."

"Well, either way it was impressive. Good work, that honestly may give us some extra time." Erwin said. Amy glowed at the compliment. After another kilometre the trees began thinning. Moments later and they were in the open, crossing crossing grass and scrub. Soon they were on the high way, which was cracked and worn with lack of maintenance. There was a concrete barrier, that separated the highway from a shallow pebble beach that stretched out into the grey-green ocean.

"Amy, let's break through that barrier and move a little ways down the beach." Erwin commanded. The break in the barrier was farther down the highway and time was of the essence so they drove full speed at the low concrete wall. It was weakened by age, and didn't stand a chance against the twenty three tonne metal monster. There was a slight drop where the grass met the rocky beach and the tank lurched on its suspension as they slammed into the ground. There was a brief rattling noise as the treads fought for traction against the pebbles, and then they were off. Erwin knew that the obvious position for them to take would be directly in front of the logging road exit, covering the four hundred metres between forest and beach.

But Erwin didn't want to take the obvious approach. Any commander with half a brain would be cautious leaving the safety of the forest, so she would position the assault gun a little farther down the beach. They would wait until the enemy tank had fully left the safety of the forest, and they were forced to either take one direction or the other, and then hit them from the safety of the sloping beach. There was a fifty fifty chance that Mitchel's tank would guess wrong, and they would be hitting the Panzer IV's vulnerable rear armour. Erwin directed Amy a few hundred metres down the beach. They were now roughly a kilometre from the entrance to the forest.

No sooner had they cut the engine when the barrel of a KwK 40 cannon made itself visible, emerging from the safety of the forest slowly and cautiously. The panzer IV appeared, tentatively advancing. They had obviously expected to be taking fire from directly ahead. Erwin wore a satisfied smirk, happy that Mitchell had not guessed the girls plan.

"Hold fire Sam, let's wait until they commit to one direction or the other." Erwin said. Samantha nodded, correcting her sights for the range. The tank paused, as if deciding which direction to take before heading north, towards Erwin's position. Erwin sighed. They were going to have to do this the hard way, against the enemies front armour.

"Load AP. Ready. Fire." The cannon barked, the shell quickly covering the one kilometre between them and the enemy the enemy tank. There was a flash of explosives and sparks, and a second later the sound of impact.

"Great shot Samantha, you nailed them." Amy yelled. Samantha leaned back and high fived Erwin.

"Hey, don't celebrate yet, they're not knocked out." Alisha said over the radio. Sure enough, the panzer IV was still advancing, closing the distance. _The shot must have not quite gone through, perhaps hitting the spaced armour around the turret. Unlucky. _Thought Erwin.

"Load." Erwin said into her mic. The enemy tank fired, hitting the road in front of the StuG, throwing a plume of asphalt and dust into the air. Erwin noted that the enemy tank had not thought of zigzagging, and instead were driving straight for the hull down assault gun, making Samantha's job a whole lot easier.

"They're driving straight for us, so there's no need to lead. Aim. Fire." Again the cannon fired, and the shot whistled through the air, impacting solidly with the hull of the tank. The enemy panzer rocked as it's suspension absorbed the momentum of the impact. Steam rose from the engine and there was a click as the little white flag deployed. Erwin relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Good shot Samantha, way to finish them off." Erwin said. The other girls agreed, complimenting the gunner on her shooting.

"I guess we should get back to the hanger." said Amy. Erwin checked her phone and saw that it was already four o-clock. Mr Albert would probably want a debrief, and they might need help towing the downed tanks. They took off, heading for the logging road. They passed by the panzer IV, it's white flag cracking in the stiff breeze that was picking up with the onset of evening. The girls pulled out of their hatches and threw mock salutes to the tank. Sam, who was leaning out of the radio operator hatch, flipped the girls off as they passed and they laughed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later and the girls were back at the hanger, waiting for the others. The sun was sinking and they basked on the front of their tank, enjoying the sun and chatting. There was a rumble off in the woods and an M25, or dragon waggon, appeared towing the wrecked vehicles. The four friends threw waves to the disgruntled crews of the tanks, and a few of them returned the gesture. After disposing the tanks in their respective hangers to be dealt with by the automotive club the crews gathered outside the hangers, waiting on Mr. Albert's arrival for a debrief. A minute later and he came along the road in the Dingo. He climbed down from the scout car with a stiffness that comes with age and approached the class.

"First off I would like to congratulate your team Erwin. That was a stellar win. That isn't to blow over the rest of your efforts. I was very impressed with everyone's work out there. Great job on those two kills Parker." Mr. Albert said. Erwin and Parker's crews beamed at the praise. Everyone else looked satisfied at the compliments. "Mitchell, I was listening in on your teams radio communication, and I will tell you that I was happy to hear you trying out something more than just blundering along together. It's a shame you weren't able to coordinate the attack simultaneously, but I'm sure the team work will come with practice. And Sam, that does mean that I over-heard your uh... conversation with Chelsea. I really hope that we can maintain some amount of professionalism."

The class laughed at what was inferred and Mitchel's radio operators face went a little red. Erwin couldn't decide if he looked enraged, embarrassed, or both. Mr. Albert did an analysis of the match, giving the teams specific details on what they did well, and what they did wrong. He didn't comment on Erwin's command choice of staying in the forest and sticking to a static position that was easily flanked, but this didn't make her feel any better about it. She wasn't going to get hung up over her decision, but she had decided that she would rather stick to tank command, as opposed to platoon command.

After they were done the debrief, and everyone went their separate ways, Erwin went to talk to Mr. Albert. She was curious as to what she should do next time, and she wanted to let him know that he could rule her out for the position of CO. Mr. Albert did agree that her choice to stay off the road in the woods had put her two tanks in a bad position to be flanked, but that it was a good decision considering the enemy tanks would be practically forced to stick to the road, for fear of losing a track in the thick woods. He accepted that she did not want to take command, but told her that she shouldn't be so hard on herself, and that she should re-consider her decision to forfeit her place as commander of the team. Erwin thanked the teacher for his reassurance and hurried off to catch up with her friends.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days seemed dull opposed to the practice battle. School remained as tedious as ever, and the team spent their time in tankery at the range and discussing tactics. The weather had progressively become more unfavourable after the practice game on Monday, and the warm summer weather was reluctantly giving way to the clouds and rain of fall. It was Friday, and the pattering of rain on the windows, which Alisha had joked Erwin would need to learn to get used to, was already starting to get to her. She was relieved when last block came around and she dashed through the incessant rain to the tank sheds.

The team still hadn't chosen a captain, mainly because there were no obvious candidates. Nick was too shy, Amber was too absent minded, most of the team didn't like the idea of being commanded by someone two years younger, therefore Parker was ruled out. Mitchell didn't seem to be able to take the tank driving too seriously, although he had sobered up after his lacrosse suspension. Erwin simply had no interest in commanding the team, mainly because she couldn't stand the thought of the teams success or failure being on her shoulders.

Mr. Albert had jokingly been complaining about the students inability to come to a decision since the practice match, and it was on Friday that he informed the team they would have a vote to elect their commander.

The first part of the lesson was spent practising driving in the slippery mud of the field and after a quick bout on the firing range they gathered in the shelter of one of the hangers. The ageing teacher handed out scraps of paper. Everyone wrote down which tank commander they wanted to lead the team and folded the paper in half before handing it back to the teacher.

After everyone had cast their votes Mr. Albert pulled up a plastic fold-able chair next to one of the ammunition crates. He sat heavily down, flattening out his khaki pants before slowly reading the scraps of paper and carefully assigning each to a pile. The students fidgeted impatiently as the teacher came to the last few scraps of paper. After finishing sorting the votes he tallied up the results, writing each figure down in a moleskin note book. Finally he stood up, pushed his glasses up on his nose and read out the tally.

"According to the democracy I have provided you it seems that you have decided on..." The teacher hesitated. "Mitchell."

There were a few claps and Mitchel's friends patted him on the back. Erwin noticed that Parker looked a little disappointed and felt a little bad for the younger tank commander. She wasn't surprised by the result though. It wasn't so much that she had expected Mitchell to be voted in as much as she couldn't see any one else getting the position. And at the end of the day she didn't think that Mitchell would be a bad commander. He obviously had some grasp of tactics and his lack of seriousness was a bit refreshing from the huge pressure put on the sensha-do team back at Ooarai.

But despite this she knew he had some issues. Her friends seemed apprehensive, to say the least, about him. And although he seemed to be fooling around a lot less as of late, his goofing around, although amusing, could prove to be contravening to the teams success.

After they were done in the hanger Erwin headed out into the rain with her three friends. Erwin wasn't wearing a coat over her field marshal jacket and although her peaked hat helped avert a good portion of the water off her head it was really starting to tip. The wool of the cap was beginning to lose its water resistance. Samantha had a umbrella and the girls crowded under it as they made their way across the muddy field towards the road, hopping over puddles and particularly bemired areas.

The girls chatted about the vote as they walked, discussing who they had cast their ballots for. None of them had voted for Mitchel, including Erwin who had thrown her vote in for Amber on an impulse. They weren't too upset about the decision, mainly being in the same boat as Erwin in that there simply were no other obvious choices. Samantha especially still seemed uncomfortable with Mitchell but Erwin thought better than to press her about it.

Erwin had noticed that Mr. Albert had kept Mitchell behind to talk, and she had been planning on getting the bus without him. But as she waved good bye to her friends she felt her phone buzz in the pocket of her jeans. After getting under the cover of the bust stop she sat down and checked her phone, wiping a few stray drops of rain off of the screen. She had received a text from Mitchell.

_Can you wait up? _The message read. She smiled and began typing a reply.

_It's cold, how long are you going to be? _She hit send and sat impatiently tapping the screen of the phone. It was cold and the tropical field jacket, issued to the German soldiers in North Africa and Southern Europe, had little value in terms of heat retention. In general she regretted her choice of attire, as the jeans she had chosen to wear had gotten water splashed on them and now rubbed uncomfortably against her calf. Luckily she didn't have to wait too long for a reply.

_I'm just heading across the field now. Are you waiting?_

_ Its freezing, I'm getting on the next bus. Hurry up. _She smirked to herself. She would probably let the bus pass her by in favour of waiting for the boy, but would rather not and if he needed some incentive to hurry up then so be it.

A minute later and she could see a figure running across the grass field. Mud splashed as he sprinted, one hand keeping his hood from being blown off in the wind. Mitchell waited for a car to pass before dashing across the road. He seated him on the bus stop bench and panted before turning to Erwin. He had managed to get mud on his cheek and Erwin giggled. She immediately regretted it, hating what she deemed to be such a shallow noise, but Mitchell smiled.

"What was Mr. Albert talking to you about?" She asked.

"He wanted to talk to me about command." Replied Mitchell.

"Really? Want to elaborate?" Said Erwin sarcastically. Mitchell huffed.

"Well, told me that if the choice had been his alone he wouldn't have put me in command because of my..." He hesitated. "Past actions. He said that he would let me command for the indefinite future, but one slip up and I would be out of command and probably off the team. He also reminded me that I was now the leader of the team and therefore expected to act like one." Mitchell looked a little uncomfortable and Erwin felt bad for pressing him about it.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have pressured you about it." The boy shrugged.

"Doesn't really matter." He replied. Just then the bus arrived and they hurried the short distance between the shelter of the bus stop and the open doors of the bus. After paying they made their way to the back. Erwin pulled her book out like she did everyday for the bus ride home.

"You have any plans for tonight?" Erwin looked up at Mitchell.

"Uh... no. I was just planning on staying home or maybe hanging out with my friends." Erwin said. She was taken off guard by the question.

"Well there's a party at Jessica's if you want to come." Mitchell blurted out. He quickly turned his head to look out the window as if he hadn't said anything. Erwin recognized the girls name but it took her a second to picture her face. Then she remembered, it was one of the more popular girls, she sat two seats in front of Erwin in socials.

"I don't know, I don't really know any of those people. And parties aren't really my thing." Said Erwin. She was apprehensive about going to a party with people she didn't know, never mind the fact that she wasn't really a party person. Ooarai had been all girls, and the only real parties back home had been social gatherings between friends. Erwin had a feeling that this would be significantly different.

"Well your friends can come if you want." Mitchell said. Erwin thought about it for a second.

"Maybe. I'll text you later." They got to their stop and hopped off, thanking the driver like they did everyday. It was still raining, if anything harder than before, and what little was visible of the mountains through the rain was further obscured by the low dark grey clouds. They chatted about school before their paths split and they waved goodbye.

Erwin hurried home, jogging through the driving rain. When she got through the door she was sopping wet and dripped water onto the floor as she went upstairs. After having a shower she changed into sweatpants and a flannel shirt before putting the kettle on for tea. Her mother and step-father were out and the lights in the house were off. She sat in silence in the dim kitchen, watching the rain running down the windows.

After Erwin was finished her tea she carefully laid he schirmmütze hat over the old style coil heater in the washroom. She went upstairs and lay on her bed. Her mind was on Mitchel's offer on the party. Despite the fact that she had never really been to a party she was interested, and willing to go. She decided on talking to her friends about it and seeing what they thought. It was still early in the afternoon, so she decided to listen to music and read for a while before meeting up with Amy, Alisha and Samantha.

"It's been so long since we did something different. Why not?" Said Amy. Erwin was happy that her friends seemed reasonably enthusiastic about the party. They weren't really friends with that group of people, but it turned out that they had often frequented these parties in other grades.

"I agree. I think it could be fun." Concurred Alisha. Samantha stayed quiet for the exchange but didn't make any complaints.

They ended up hanging out in Erwin's room for the next few hours, talking and putzing about on Erwin's computer. At around eight she texted Mitchell.

_So is it ok if my friends come? _It was a minute before he responded, and she was worried he had changed his mind.

_Sure. When are you going?_ The message read.

_Idk, when were you planning on going?_

_Probs around nine?_ That seemed a little late but Erwin didn't mind too much. She usually stayed up till around three any ways on weekends.

_ Ok, well we will probably leave around nine. You're sure it's alright that we're coming?_ Erwin was wondering if Mitchell had even asked the host yet. She wasn't sure of the customs in North America, but she didn't really want to just crash a party and end up getting kicked out.

_ Ya, for sure_. Erwin relayed the information to her friends. Amy knew where Jessica's house was and they decided to head out in an hour. Erwin considered leaving her usual outfit in favour of something a little more normal but decided against it. She had stuck with wearing the German uniform basically whenever she went out for this long, she wasn't going to stop now for some stupid party.

Mitchell didn't want to admit it to himself but he was nervous. He had been worried that Erwin would decide not too come, that it was too last minute. Jessica had said that it was a plus one party, and he was now at plus four. He wasn't too worried about the girls being let in, he knew that Amy and her friends used to go to parties all the time and people would probably be happy to see them. But it didn't change the fact that it was disrespectful to the host.

Then there was Erwin. Mitchell was still getting over the fact that he was into her. He had refused to let on to any of his friends about his feelings for her. But he couldn't deny that the feeling was there. He enjoyed her company busing home every day. And he often caught himself holding a glance for a little too long. She was a really nice person, and he had no trouble talking to her. It helped that she was attractive.

Mitchell checked his phone. It was almost nine. He was in the car with Calvin, Sam and a guy from lacrosse called Matt. They had just made a run to the liquor store, Matt having bought the alcohol with a fake id. Mitchell didn't understand how Matt passed for nineteen as he was baby faced and had been late hitting puberty. He was a little on the short side and had light brown hair. At this moment he had a cigarette wedged between his lips. Mitchell couldn't stand the smell as one of his few memories of his dad was the scent of cheap smokes that seamed to linger about him, but he didn't complain.

Calvin parallel parked a little farther up the street from the house. Barely any one in their grade had the luxury of a friend with a car, but there were still a few vehicles filling the driveway, presumably from grade twelves who had shown up. The friends hopped out and headed up the driveway. The thump of the bass from music inside was easily audible from the street.

They let themselves in and were greeted by an almost palatable wall of the smell of sweat, alcohol, cheap perfume and marijuana smoke. The four boys walked into the house, ignoring the couple making out in the hall. The room was full of people and they were immediately greeted by a very drunk Darren. Mitchell patted him on the back and gave him a gentle push towards Sam to get him out of the way.

After saying hello to various people and having a couple beers Mitchell spotted Erwin. She was standing near the door to the kitchen, talking to Chelsea and Ethan, the radio operator and driver respectively of Amber's tank. Mitchell approached, weaving his way through the crowd. He smiled when he noticed she was wearing the same uniform and hat as always. She was obviously stubborn.

When he got close he tapped the blonde StuG commander on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled when she saw who it was. Mitchell nodded to Amber and Ethan as well.

"When did you arrive?" He said. She shook her head.

"What?" He heard her say.

"I said when did you arrive?" Mitchell said louder this time. They were right by the speakers.

"Oh, about ten minutes ago. Amy and the other girls are just in the kitchen." She yelled back. Mitchell could barely hear what she was saying and motioned towards the kitchen with his hand. Erwin nodded and they made their way through the crush of people to the door. As soon as they were out of the room Mitchell sucked in a breath of fresh air. The kitchen felt cool and quiet compared the oppressive humidity of the other room and he could feel his skin prickle as the colder air made contact with the layer of perspiration that had formed across his arms.

Once they were able to hear each other their conversation progressed fine. Mitchell was a little drunk from the beers he had consumed upon arrival, and recalled various stories of past parties, and activities he had gotten up to with his friends. He had always thought Erwin was cute, but he really liked it when she laughed, the way her face lit up. After that he made every effort to try and make her crack up, recalling outrageous stories of drunken shenanigans and amusing situations.

Time flew by, and Mitchell excused himself from the conversation to relieve himself. He was amazed when he checked his phone to see that an hour had gone by. After going to the washroom he returned to see someone else talking with Erwin. The new boy had propped himself up against the counter and was leaning into the girl.

Mitchel's initial instinct was violence, to go and do something about the other teenager's obvious encroachment on the girl that Mitchell was interested in. But even as started taking his first few steps towards what would inevitably end in action, he caught himself. He was intoxicated, but not enough to think of the consequences. If this same situation had happened a week ago there would have been no hesitation. But he now had the threat of expulsion from the tankery team looming over him. Not only that but Erwin was in no obvious discontent, and a display of physical violence would probably do nothing to woo her.

Mitchell contented himself with holding back, and talking with someone else for the moment. He would wait, and hopefully get a chance to talk to her later. He had started and finished a couple conversations, as well as dusting off a few more beers, and had begun slipping into melancholy. It was around then that he noticed Erwin and the boy heading for the back door. The boy, who he now recognized as a guy called Denise, was holding onto her arm, not aggressively but forcefully, and Erwin looked apprehensive.

Mitchell was experiencing a feeling that he was unused to. He realized, with a sense of irony, that he would usually be the one dragging some other poor guys girl around back. Mitchell wasn't usually a depressed drunk, but he was feeling more and more deflated by the minute.

It was less than a minute later when Erwin came storming back through the door. Mitchell almost burst out laughing when a few seconds later Denise followed, cradling a bloody nose. Mitchell headed over to the blonde tank commander.

"You had problems with him?" He said, trying not to laugh.

"What that guy? No, why do you ask?" Erwin said, smirking. Mitchell couldn't help but laugh at that, and Erwin's smirk turned into a smile at his reaction to her comment. "I think I'm going to head out now, want to walk home?" Mitchell wasn't usually one to leave a party early, and it wasn't even midnight yet, but he hadn't drank enough to get properly drunk, just enough to feel exhausted.

"Sure, I'm tired and could do with some fresh air." He said. Erwin let her friends, who were all drunk aside from Alisha, know that she was going home and they headed out.

The rain had run its course since they had arrived, and the sky was almost clear aside from small wispy clouds. The full moon was bright, and illuminated the night sky to an almost navy blue shade. The air was cold and crisp, and held the smell of wet pavement.

"What happened with Dennis?" Mitchell asked as they walked, leaving the noise of the party behind.

"I don't know. He seemed nice enough, and said that he wanted to talk out back. I guess he was a little overbearing. I might have overreacted." She said, guilt hinting at her voice.

"I doubt that. To be honest, you probably got off easy. If you need help with anything just let me know." Mitchell said.

"You mean it?" Erwin said, looking him in the eye.

"Sure." Mitchell replied holding her gaze. He could almost hear Steven's voice in his head, _You white knight_. He noticed that Erwin looked a little chilly, with only a tank top and the military jacket covering her upper half. _When in Rome _Mitchell thought to himself.

"Hey, you want my jacket? You look cold." He said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Thanks, I wasn't expecting it to be this freezing." Replied the girl sheepishly. She took Mitchel's flannel jacket and pulled it on over her tank top before putting the dessert uniform over top.

It was a long walk home, and they spent it talking about the party, and eventually Erwin's life back in Japan. Mitchell was amazed by what he heard. Erwin had always seemed so confident, but she had next to no experience with many things that made up the norm of North American culture. It was now no surprise that she had let Dennis drag her out back.

Despite the cold it was nice out, and they enjoyed the view of the mountains as they left the outskirts of the town. Mitchell checked his phone for the time when they got to the cross roads they parted at, and saw that it was now half past one.

"I'll see you Monday then." He said, as they prepared to part ways.

"Ya. I enjoyed this evening. And I really did appreciate what you said earlier. " Erwin replied, nodding as she began walking down her road. "Good night Mitchell."

"No problem. Good night."


	4. Chapter 4

** Sorry for the delay, I've been extremely busy lately. I am spending a huge amount of time doing research, so if I get any facts wrong about tanks feel free to review the error or pm me. My grammar isn't all that great, and I don't have a proofreader for this story other than myself, so I apologize ahead of time for spelling errors.**

As it happened, Mr. Albert was better than his word and by the time the weekend had ended he had organized a exhibition game in Vancouver. Upon hearing the news the Tankery team was ecstatic, excited to try out their skills against a new team. Monday was a day two, and they were all given early dismissals for Tuesday. They would leave in the morning, have their match, and hopefully be back by dinner time. Monday dragged by with painful sluggishness.

The bus ride home, as per usual, was spent with Mitchell. Erwin hadn't talked to him since Friday, and he seemed a little awkward on the bus. She wondered if it had anything to do with the party on Friday, perhaps he was embarrassed at inviting her. She couldn't tell if the party had been worse or better than expected, but didn't really mind either way. It had been interesting, and an eye opening look at North American culture.

She hadn't seen much of her friends during the party, although they had obviously had a good time as well. Despite Samantha festering a hang over the next morning, and therefore not having too much input in the conversation, they all concurred that it would be good to get out more often.

After waving goodbye to Mitchel, Erwin headed home and, like almost every evening since school started, spent her time reading and working at a lackadaisical pace through some homework. After coming to Canada she had decided to learn more about the Countries military involvement. She was currently reading through a book on the Canadian participation in the invasion of Sicily.

She woke up uncharacteristically early on Tuesday, and was at the bus stop before Mitchell. The sky was clear and sunny, but there were ominous cloud formations coming in from the west. Mitchell arrived just as the bus came to a halt in front of the stop and they both got on.

"You excited?" Erwin asked, taking her usual seat.

"Ya, you bet." He replied, dropping into his seat next to her. Despite his answer he didn't look it, and Erwin could tell he was apprehensive.

"Nervous about command?" She asked.

"I guess. I just don't want to fuck it up; make people regret voting me in."

"That makes sense. You did fine in the practice game, and if worst comes to worse then just do something simple. At least that way you don't look bad." She said, not mincing her words. He guffawed.

"Geez, thanks. You really know how to boost my confidence." Erwin chuckled at this.

"Would you rather I beat around the bush?"

"Yes." Mitchell said. He looked at her before they bother burst out laughing.

When they arrived at school most of the team had already arrived. Mr. Albert informed the class that they would be driving the tanks onto the ferry, and that everyone should load up. The crews climbed into their tanks, and the quite morning air was broken by the sound of engines coughing into action. Within minutes the tanks were moving in a column along the highway, drivers making their best effort to keep on the right hand side of the two lane road.

Within forty five minutes the four tanks and single armoured car were loaded up on the ferry. The crews went up to the lounge to relax in the chairs. It was still early in the morning, just past eight fifteen, and a few of the students went straight to sleep. Erwin and her crew sat with Nick and the crew of the Puma. Cam, the armoured cars driver, turned out to be hilarious. He was a stocky kid with cropped blonde hair. He recalled stories of his own, as well as his friends, exploits and told jokes. He had an aggressive sense of humour that had Erwin and her friends in stitches.

Nick, Jordy and Ross looked like they had heard it all before, and occasionally pitched in to stories. The ferry ride was enjoyable and only a little over an hour, and in no time they were pulling in to dock.

There had been no time to do a full scale preparation of any residential neighbourhoods for the match, which meant that they would fighting their battle in the farmland near the ferry terminal. After a short drive down the highway they reached their destination.

Their match would be played out in the fields surrounding a grouping of farm buildings including a farmhouse, a barn and a couple grain silos. Whatever the crop was that the fields maintained, it must have been harvested late in the summer, as the fields were bare, accepting the wooden supports and spindly remains of crops. The barn and farm house were painted red and had black shingle roofs.

After bringing the tanks to a halt in the starting area the crews unbuttoned and relaxed, waiting for their next orders. Mitchell climbed up onto the roof of the turret and stood at full height, surveying the surrounding area with a pair of binoculars. The crews had been given maps on the ferry, and Mitchell compared what he was seeing through the binoculars with land marks on the map, judging distances and trying to asses the most ideal line of attack, as well as the most advantageous route for the enemy.

Erwin was impressed, and watched him for a second before dropping back into her tank. She checked her periscope to make sure it was working properly, slid the map into its overhead compartment and pulled the headphones of the radio over her head, tapping the receiver to make sure it was on.

"Samantha, check gun sights to make sure everything's aligned. Alisha, if you could make sure the gear box is working perfectly. Amy, do you think you could come with me to give the engine one more final check over." Erwin said. The girls nodded, getting to work with their assigned tasks.

Amy and Erwin climbed out of their respective hatches, going around to the rear of the tank and flipping open the engine cover. After going through all the parts everything seemed to be in working condition.

"This is sure exciting, going into our first match against another team." Amy said, looking down at Erwin as the blonde commander checked under the valve cover. Erwin turned her head to look up at her friend.

"I'm glad to hear you're as excited as I am." Erwin said before turning back to the engine.

"Hey Erwin, I've been meaning to ask you for a while, but haven't really got the chance" Amy hesitated. "Is anything going on, you know, between you and Mitchell?" Erwin stopped what she was doing before slowly closing the valve cover.

"No. Why do you ask?" Erwin said, hearing the falter in her own voice and cursing it.

"Well, you guys seem to be really close. There's nothing wrong with it... I think. I just want the best for you." Amy said, concern in her voice. Erwin felt butterflies in her stomach, a feeling she wasn't used too.

"He's nice. And attractive I guess. He's not really my type though." She said, trying to back pedal.

"You're definitely into him. Hey, I think he's fine now." Amy said, giggling. Erwin sometimes wished that she could giggle, but every time she did she felt like a fool.

"What do you mean by 'Now'. What is it that you guys keep alluding too?" Erwin asked. Amy looked uncomfortable at the question.

"I'll tell you later, now isn't really a good time." Amy said. Erwin closed the engine hatch and they both climbed back on top of their tank, Amy dropping into the drivers hatch on the front and Erwin into the commanders cupola.

The weather was still holding, with the sun shining down from over head, but it was hazy and the air held a thick, summer like humidity. The clouds were closing in and Erwin wondered if it would be raining by the time the match ended. They had a few seconds to relax before there was the crackle of the radio activating. Mitchel's voice came in.

"I'm not sure what they've got, they're hidden behind that hill over there. Either way, we're going to do this aggressive. Those farm building separate us from them at the moment, and besides that there's no cover. We're going to move up to the buildings quickly, and hopefully be able to hit them in the open, crossing the fields. Nick, I want you to bring the Puma up the road on the left flank. As soon as you spot what they've got and where they're moving I'll give you further orders. Erwin, there's an irrigation ditch that runs straight down the right side, along the fields. I want you to move up along the drainage ditch and hit them from the side. Let's do this guys, and good luck." The radio clicked silent.

"Amy, I want you to bring the tank hard right and go straight. There should be a drainage ditch that we're going to advance along." Erwin saw her driver nod in understanding.

A second later and there was the roar of engines as all of the vehicles started up. Soon the three panzer IV's were racing forwards at top speed across the fields, suspension bouncing as they jumped across the neat rows of crops. Wooden trellises were crushed under the grinding metal treads of the medium tanks.

On the left side the Puma was already scooting along the road at over eighty kilometres an hour, Nick was sitting on the edge of his hatch and sweeping a pair of binoculars back and forth, searching for any sign of enemy movement. Black smoke trailed behind the armoured car from the exhaust vents.

Erwin was holding on to the edge of her seat as the Stug bounced across the field. Her teeth jarred together painfully as they dipped into the ditch, the front end hanging in the air momentarily before slamming down. They straightened out and took off, the gulley just wide enough to accommodate the assault gun.

Erwin opened her hatch and sat on the edge of the tank, keeping her eyes fixed on the distant hill. The assault gun had a low profile, and it sat below the edge of the ditch, but unbuttoned and sitting up straight Erwin's upper torso was above the edge, affording her a view of the surroundings. Suddenly there was a crackle over the radio.

"Mitchell, Mitchell, come in this is Nick. I've spotted the enemy. They're just about to clear the rise. Looks like we've got three big tanks, two smaller tanks and a little scout car." There was a pause. "Oh shit, looks like they spotted me, I'm disengaging!" Nick said, panic edging at his voice. Erwin almost laughed at how vague the report was.

"Nick, I'm going to need you to be a little more specific. What tanks, and where are they moving?" Sam, Mitchel's radio operator, came in over the radio. There was another pause. By this point Erwin could see the eight wheeled armoured car turning and racing back down the road, it's turret facing to the rear, presumably towards the enemy.

"I don't know what tanks they are, I'm sorry." Nick said apologetically "But I can tell you that the three big tanks are heading over the ridge. The two smaller tanks and the armoured car are heading my way, towards the road. Looks like they had the same idea you did with the road, they just didn't get to it quick enough. Shit!"

The final remark was followed by the whistling sound of a shell, audible over the radio. Erwin watched as the Puma rocked, a shell throwing up a fountain of dry dirt right next to it.

"OK, good work Nick. Pull back for now, try and get behind the barn if you can." Sam said.

"Wilco." Came the response from Nick.

A few seconds later and the enemy tanks made themselves visible. A pair of huge tracks came over the ridge, lifting up into the air as it crested the slope and then slamming down. First one Churchill crawled over the hill, than another two following on either side. Erwin could just barely make out someone poking out of the cupola of the lead vehicle, holding onto the rectangular hatches of the British tank for support.

Only moments later and the final three vehicles came around the side of the hill, moving along the road. Erwin recognized two valentine infantry tanks, the final vehicle being a Daimler armoured car.

The British armoured car was racing ahead of the pair of tanks. All three fired, almost simultaneously, and the shots barely missed the swerving Puma. The German armoured car fired pack, the shot went wide of the tanks pursuing up the road, landing nearby in a field resulting in a plume of dirt, weeds and smoke.

Erwin looked over to Mitchell and the two other Panzer IV's. They had pushed their medium tanks as hard as they could, and were just making it to the farm buildings. Erwin grimaced at the thought of how uncomfortable the drive over the fields must have been for the crews, going as fast as they could over rough ground. The tanks began manoeuvring around buildings and grain silos, getting in to position to shoot at the approaching tanks.

The Vancouver schools tanks were still about a kilometre out, the British infantry tanks being much slower than their German enemies. But they had spotted the Port Ryan tanks, and their turrets were traversing, trying to line up a shot.

"Amy, it looks like they haven't seen us yet." Erwin said over the radio. "It looks like there are some brambles up ahead. If we can make it to there without being spotted then hopefully we can get our gun through that, and fire onto their sides when they pass by." The gulley they were moving along was lined with low lying bushes, and there was a particularly large bramble bush up ahead.

"Got it Erwin. You get ready to fire Sam." Amy said in reply.

The Stug slowly closed the distance to the large blackberry bush, Amy trying to let off as little tell tale smoke as possible. Once in position the dirty blonde driver turned the tank, slowly sliding deeper into the bushes and crushing prickly branches under track.

"Can you see out alright Sam?" Alisha asked, peering through the starboard side vision block.

"It's a little iffy but I should be able to line up a shot alright." The tall gunner murmured, focusing on adjusting the sights on the gun.

The Panzer IV's had finished getting into position. Parker's tank was on the far right, poking around the edge of one of the three grain silos. Amber's tank was on the left flank, having moved through the open doors of the barn, taking cover behind some bales of hay. Mitchel's tank was in the centre of the formation, concealed behind the farm house.

Just as the Port Ryan tanks stopped moving, the enemy tanks opened fire. The cannons on the Churchills barked, one after another in quick succession. Six pounder rounds streaked across the open ground, two falling a little short and one slamming into the roof of the farm house. Shingles and splinters flew into the air.

"Hold fire, wait for them to close to seven hundred metres. Amber, I want you to aim for those Valentines. Fire as fast as you can and try to keep them suppressed." Sam said.

"Got it." Said Chelsea, Amber's radio operator.

The cannon on the Puma barked again and again the shot missed, this time landing almost directly next to one of the advancing Valentines. The tank rocked slightly due to its proximity to the impact before both the Valentines fired. One shot missed, slamming into the side of the barn. The other shot impacted square on with the rear of Puma.

The eight wheeled armoured car jolted forward, lifted off of it's rear wheels momentarily from the momentum of the shot. It slammed back down, the back end skidding out as it lost control. It came to a halt, steam rising from the ruined twelve cylinder engine.

"Bugger." Erwin said, slamming her fist on the roof of the Stug. Although the Puma had served its purpose of relaying the numbers and position of the enemy, the fifty millimetre cannon would have come in handy against the lightly armoured Daimler and Valentines, meaning more of the seventy five millimetre shots could be brought down on the heavily armoured Churchills. She looked over towards the farm buildings, waiting expectantly for the hull down Panzers to open fire.

Mitchell watched as the Churchills approached. They fired in volleys, all three temporarily becoming partially obscured by propellant exhaust before passing through, the smoke swirling about their green forms. A second later and the shells would impact around Mitchel's tanks, dirt and rocks rattling against the hulls of the tanks.

"Hey Sam, ask Erwin the height of those tanks." Mitchell told his radio operator.

"Erwin, can you tell me the height of those tanks by any chance?" Sam relayed to the Stug commander. There was a pause before the Japanese girls voice crackled back.

"A Churchill? I think about... Three metres? Maybe a little under." Mitchell nodded.

"Darren, what's the distance?" The half Asian commander said to his gunner, not bothering to use the radio, as the engines had been cut. The inside of the tank was sweltering in the humid heat, and Darren was down to his beater, sweat rolling down his muscular arms. The brown haired gunner compared the presumed height of the enemy vehicle to the triangles on the Panzer IV's stadiametric range finder.

"About... nine hundred metres." The gunner replied, keeping his eye on the gun sights.

"Just more proof that you aren't a dumb ass." Mitchell heard Sam mumble. Calvin sniggered and Darren turned his eye momentarily from the gun sight to glare at Sam.

"Alright guys, line up your shots for seven hundred metres, on my order..." Mitchell called over the radio. The Valentines and Daimler had been hampered slightly by their more calculated fire at the Puma, but were now almost level with the slower Churchills. Mitchell hoped that he had timed it right, and the enemy tanks would all cross the seven hundred metre mark at about the same time.

"Eight hundred." Darren muttered.

More shots landed around them. The rattle of pebbles and dirt on the armour of the tank was unnerving, but Mitchell tried to push it out of his mind and focus on the advancing tanks. He was impressed with the fact that despite the enemy were on the move they were still landing their shots in relative close proximity to the Port Ryan Panzers. Mitchell was sweating, and he pushed a strand of loose hair out of his eyes.

"Seven hundred metres." Darren called up.

"Fire!" Mitchell.

"Fire!" Sam called over the radio.

_Boom, Boom, Boom _The three Panzer IV's fired simultaneously. Before the shots had even landed Mitchell was giving orders.

"Fire at will" Sam called over the radio

"Load AP." Mitchell said to Stephen.

He watched through a vision block on the cupola as the shots slammed amongst the Vancouver tanks. Both shots on the Churchills missed, but Mitchell gave a whoop of satisfaction as an AP round fired from Amber's tank in the barn slammed into one of the Valentines moving up the road, stopping it dead in its tracks. A white flag was visible, snapping in the crisp breeze. Luckily the wind was coming from behind them, and wouldn't effect their shots.

The Churchills were unfazed by the volley, and continued their relatively slow but relentless pace. The remaining Valentine turned off the road to get past its knocked out comrade while the Daimler accelerated ahead down the road. There was a clattering as a shell was loaded into the breach of the gun.

"Loaded." Stephen growled.

"Aim." Mitchell said, and paused. "Fire!"

Another shot boomed out of the cannon. Less than a second later and the other two guns had fired. Parker's gunner just barely missed the lead Churchill, his round slamming into a gravel path that the tanks were crossing and sending rocks flying in all directions. The enemy commander in the lead tank, who was still unbuttoned, ducked his head down, but didn't retire into the safety of his tank.

"Boo ya!" Darren yelled as the round he had fired slammed into the turret ring of the Churchill on the left. The tank rocked on its suspension, smoke pouring out. A white flag popped up.

"Great shot." Mitchell commented before ordering Stephen to load. The Churchills and Valentine were still returning fire, but the volleys were less tight, and the shots not quite as accurate. But they got lucky.

Off to Mitchel's right there was a huge clanging sound as metal impacted with metal. He peeked out of the cupola to see Parker's tank with a white flag poking out. A lucky shot had glanced the grain silo and slammed into the hull of the Panzer IV. Mitchell swore.

The two remaining Panzer IV's fired again. The Daimler, it's gun too light to hurt the German medium tanks from the front, had been trying to manoeuvre across the front of the Port Ryan line and duck in behind the farm house to hit Mitchel's command tank from the rear with it's two pounder gun. As it crossed in front of the barn Amber's tank fired, slamming it at close range on its flank and sending it sliding a couple metres through the dry dirt.

"Compliment Alec on his shooting." Mitchell told Sam. The enemy tanks were getting dangerously close, less than a hundred and fifty metres, and Mitchell wanted them to slide into his trap. "We're going to pull back a little, I want you to tell Amber to get out of the barn and begin retreating across the fields.

"Got it Sam." Came Amber's reply when Mitchel's radio operator had relayed the message. "Alright, start taking us back Calvin, slow and steady." Mitchell said. The tank bucked as it began reversing. Darren fired again but the shot missed by quite a bit. Amber's tank came out of the barn before beginning to reverse.

The Valentine came off the road and regrouped with the two Churchills, forming a line. Mitchell kept his eye on the bramble bush where he could just make out the barrel of the Stug poking out. He waited for the shot to come. The Churchills rolled past the Stugs position and Mitchell was about to radio in and tell them to fire when there was a booming noise.

The Stug fired, and an explosion rocked the side of the Churchill on the right. Everything went perfectly, and Mitchell was prepared to give the order to advance, waiting for the enemy to turn and face the new threat. But they didn't. The valentine rotated its turret and fire a single shot back towards the brambles, but both tanks maintained their speed. Before Mitchell knew what was happening the two remaining tanks were passing by the farmhouses that, moments earlier, Mitchell and his tanks had occupied.

"Load!" Mitchell shouted. The enemy tanks were closing but were holding their fire. The enemy tanks drew closer, quickly overtaking the retreating Port Ryan panzers. Darren traversed the turret, tracking the approaching and then passing British Churchill.

There was the sound of the Breach slamming shut just as the enemy Churchill passed. "Fire god damn it; fire! Mitchell yelled. He was looking out of the vision block on the cupola and to his amazement the enemy commander was still out of his hatch. He wore a black beret and had a wide grin plastered on his narrow, almost rodent like face. He was shouting something to his crew and waving his fist in the air.

Mitchell was able to take all this is before the KwK cannon unloaded. The tank jerked, and Mitchell realized with horror that it was much too violent to have simply been from the recoil of the main gun firing. There was a cloud of haze and Mitchell opened his hatch, coughing. He waved his hand in front of his face to try and clear the dust. When his vision cleared he was greeted by a white flag almost right in front of his face.

Across from Mitchell the enemy Churchill sat at an odd angle. For a second Mitchell thought they had got it, but then he realized that there was no white flag. The enemy commander gave Mitchell a thumbs up, and he noticed that they had been detracked. The shot had blown off one of the Churchills huge metal links, and the tank had rolled a few feet without the track, trailing the metal plates uselessly behind it as its momentum carried it forward.

Mitchell sighed before slumping back into the commanders chair. He noticed that Amber's tank had been knocked out by the Valentine. They had either not reloaded in time, or simply missed their shot. Mitchell had not expected a broadside attack, and the enemy had pressed the risky manoeuvre to devastating effect.

There was one mobile tank left and one immobile. Erwin had her work cut out for her Mitchell though, letting out a sigh of frustration.

"Fire!"

A round flew from the blackberry bush and slammed into the front of the turret, which had traversed around to face them. There was a shower of sparks and metal but no apparent damage.

"Bugger." Erwin swore. "Bad luck Sam. Let's pull back. Let's move along the ditch and try and hit them from the side."

The Stug reversed back out of the brambles and dropped down into the ditch. Just in time, as almost as soon as they were out two six pounder rounds struck the thorns where moments before they had been hiding. As soon as Amy had them lined up along the ditch they took off, throwing up mud as they raced along the gulley. Erwin peeked out of her hatch towards the enemy. The Valentine was moving around the barn, presumably trying to get behind the assault gun.

"Let's take out that Churchill first. Then we can deal with the Valentine." Erwin told her crew. Alisha nodded, sliding a shell into the breach of the gun. It had been relatively cool in the brambles, with the engine off and in the shade of the thorn bushes, but now they were on the move in the sun it was sweltering. Erwin took off her hat wiped it across her brow. All four girls were wearing shorts, and they were glad of it.

Erwin judged their position relative to the Churchill by keeping her eyes on the grain silos. She knew that the tank had moved about a hundred metres or so past to get at her team mates, and was now sitting out in the open. She wanted to manoeuvre around it a little so it would have to spend more time traversing its turret and bring its gun to bear, but she didn't want to be firing on its front armour, which was notoriously thick.

"That's probably good Amy. Turn us and lets get over the rise. Once we're over I want you to remain hull down and hopefully we can pick off that Valentine." Erwin said to her crew. They all nodded, preparing themselves to go up and over. The assault gun turned and Amy lined it up with the presumed position of the enemy.

"Alright, lets go." Erwin said. The Stugs engine roared and they crawled over the edge of the hill. The gun pointed towards the sky before slamming downwards. Erwin stared at the enemy Churchill. They had positioned themselves perfectly, and were perpendicular to the British infantry tanks side armour.

"Fire!" Erwin shouted. Samantha grimaced and the gun barked, launching the shell the hundred or so metres into the tanks side armour. There was a pop as a white flag deployed.

"Great shot. Now where's that Valentine?" Erwin said. Both her and Alisha popped out of their hatches, scanning their eyes across the farm buildings to try and spot the smaller tank. Just then they heard the roar of engines off to their right flank. Erwin's head snapped to the right and she gazed in horror at the Valentine, charging towards them down the gulley.

"Amy, turn right and reverse. We're only going to get one chance at this." Erwin said.

As the Stug turned Erwin gave the order to load. Dust rose up around them as the treads of the tank ground against the dry dirt of the embankment. There was a booming noise off to their right and Erwin closed her eyes, expecting the worst. The sound of stones rattling against the hull of the tank filled her ears. She opened one eye slowly.

"They missed!" She yelled. The crew cheered.

"Let's make them regret it." Amy shouted. The Stug was now pointing straight down the irrigation ditch towards the charging enemy tank. There was no room to manoeuvre, and the Valentine was forced to move in a straight line towards the waiting German tank.

"Aim!" Erwin shouted. "And... Fire!"

The Stug fired its cannon, rocking back a bit on its suspension from the recoil. The Valentine was less than fifty metres away, point-blank range and a miss would be nigh impossible. The small British tank rocked back and then heaved forwards, skidding to a halt. A small white flag popped up and the four girls popped out of their respective hatches, cheering and banging on the side of the Stug.

After the match the two teams lined up to shake hands. Both sides were impressed with the others performance, and there was no bad mouthing or taunting between anyone. Mitchell shook the enemy commanders hand, the one with the black beret. The boy had curly fair hair, and Mitchell couldn't help but notice how the boy had a small facial features and round ears. He wore a grey sweater over a khaki button up shirt.

"Mitchell." The Port Ryan commander introduced himself, taking the other teenagers outstretched hand.

"Berny." The other boy said, with a smile. He had a noticeable British accent. Mitchell didn't know the different accents of England, but it sounded posh. "Good work out there, I thought we had you."

"I thought you had us too. That was a big risk you took with that charge, but it sure paid off. If it hadn't been for Erwin then you would've won, without a doubt." Mitchell responded.

"Erwin?" Berny asked.

"She's our Stug commander. She moved from Japan, and was part of the national champions team over there." Mitchell explained.

"Ah, well I was tempted to go after her when she hit our flank." It was as Berny said this that Erwin and Amy approached. "Good show out there, you really gave that Valentine what for." Berny congratulated.

"Well, it's really my crew who deserve the praise. None of that was really my own initiative out there, after all Mitchell told me where to go." Erwin said.

"My ass!" Amy scoffed. "You knew exactly where to go, hiding in the brambles. And coming back along the gulley you positioned right on that Churchills flank. You immediately reacted to the Valentine, although we were lucky it missed." Amy said with a smirk.

"She's right Erwin, you need to take some credit for the win. You're the tanks commander for gods sake." Mitchell chipped in. Erwin shrugged.

"Any ways, great match. Hopefully we'll be seeing you in provincials." Berny said. Erwin and Mitchell shook the opposing commanders hand again before heading back towards their tanks.

"What a character." Erwin laughed when they were out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" Asked Mitchell.

"The hat, the name, the outfit. The fact he looks like a rat. He was born for this." She replied, taking her hat off and smoothing out her hair.

"I don't get it. Care to elaborate?" Mitchell said.

"Ah, never mind." Erwin said, still chuckling to herself.

When the two teams had shaken hands Mr. Albert gave a debrief, highlighting what the team did well and what they had done not so well. He complimented Nick and the reconnaissance crew on spotting and distinguishing the enemy strength and movements. He did suggest that they learn tank identification, to give the team a better idea of what they were up against.

Mr. Albert also complimented Mitchell on his aggressive push for the cover of the buildings. It had worked well, and given them an advantage right off the bat against the Vancouver tanks. It was simply unfortunate that the British Churchill was ideally suited for a steady push across open ground.

All of the gunners were complimented on their shooting, and the teacher was especially happy to see that the gunners, most specifically Darren, were learning to use their stadiametric range finders effectively.

Erwin and her crew were complimented on their patience and initiative on the flank, holding their fire until they had a perfect shot on the Churchills considerable side armour.

Mr. Albert would have continued but the debrief was cut short by the onset of rain. The clouds rolled over quickly and no sooner had the crews scurried to the cover of their vehicles when it started tipping, the rain pattering on their metal roofs.

It was still hot inside the tanks from the warm weather they had experienced all day, and the crews drove with their hatches open, enjoying the wet breeze that blew along the road. In what seemed like no time at all they were loading back on the ferry, bound for Port Ryan, their first match and first win under their belts.


End file.
